Editorial: Probe into Binion's death picks up again

The mystery surrounding his Sept. 17 death has attracted national publicity, as well as the interest of many Las Vegans familiar with the colorful casino executive and his legendary father, the late Horseshoe Club founder Benny Binion. The public deserves to know how Binion really died, and we are glad to see that detectives are trying their best to solve the mystery.

Throughout the latter portion of his life, Binion had struggled with a heroin addiction. So it was not at all surprising to many that police at first suspected he might have died of a drug overdose. His body was discovered at his home by his girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, next to an empty bottle of the prescription sedative, Xanax. There were no signs of foul play.

But soon after his death questions were raised when one of his friends, Montana contractor Rick Tabish, was arrested with two other men in Pahrump after they had dug up $4 million in buried silver belonging to Binion. Then Clark County Coroner Ron Flud reported that toxicology tests had found lethal levels of both heroin and Xanax in Binion's system. Flud refused to conclude that Binion had committed suicide or had died of an overdose. Officially, the manner in which Binion died was classified as "undetermined." That prompted police to step up their probe, assigning a team of homicide detectives to the case.

Since then, though police haven't been prepared to say Binion was murdered, the mystery has only deepened. Friends, associates and employees of Binion all have stepped forward to tell stories of suspicious occurrences at Binion's home in the hours before and after his death. And Binion's multimillion-dollar estate has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in Binion's death.

Detectives now are said to be pursuing new leads in the case. We wish them well. Binion's death, it seems to us, is a mystery worth solving.

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