Witness doesn't think Binion's death was suspicious

A reluctant California witness investigators hoped would shed light on Ted Binion's murder emerged from four hours of grueling grand jury testimony Thursday to tell reporters she didn't believe his death was suspicious.

Linda Carroll, 42, who had eluded authorities for weeks before voluntarily coming to Las Vegas to testify, also said she had sympathy for Binion's live-in girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, one of the reported targets of the homicide investigation into his Sept. 17 death.

Carroll, who once worked with the 27-year-old Murphy at Cheetah's topless nightclub, said she didn't know how Binion died, but that she believed he was "extremely addicted" to heroin and prescription drugs. Lethal levels of heroin and the prescription sedative Xanax were found in Binion's body.

Homicide detectives have been interested in what Murphy told Carroll at a neighbor's home just hours after Binion's death. Carroll also was with Murphy the next day when the inside of Binion's 2408 Palomino Lane home was videotaped in anticipation of an inheritance fight with his estate.

Carroll's public comments suggested she may not have given the sworn testimony Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger was seeking.

Roger appeared frustrated coming out of the grand jury room.

"I've known Roger a long time, and I've never seen him that upset," said private detective Tom Dillard, who is investigating Binion's murder for his $30 million estate. "I don't know what she said inside the grand jury, but in my opinion something didn't go right."

About the same time Carroll and her California lawyer, Chet Bennett, showed up in a white limousine to head into the grand jury room downtown, Murphy and her reported lover, Rick Tabish, were spotted in a car nearby. Tabish, a Montana contractor, also is believed to be a target of the investigation. He was arrested in Pahrump Sept. 19 for allegedly trying to steal a fortune in silver from the colorful gaming executive.

Dillard and Richard Wright, a lawyer for Binion's estate, have said that Carroll told them she feared the probe's targets.

But as Carroll testified, Bennett told reporters his client felt more threatened by the tactics of investigators who had been seeking her cooperation. A warrant had been issued for Carroll's arrest as a material witness, and an unflattering police photo of Carroll taken four years ago when she applied for a work card at Cheetah's was aired on the syndicated television show, "America's Most Wanted."

Roger, meanwhile, said little after Carroll's testimony.

"We are leaving no stone unturned, and we are continuing to investigate the case until we find out what happened to Ted Binion," he told reporters.

Carroll said she answered questions to the best of her ability.

"I'm glad it's over," she said. "I'm just going to go on with my life."

But there are indications Carroll's life still will be entwined in the Binion investigation for many more months.

Bennett said detectives in Pahrump have been interested in whether she heard anything about the attempted silver theft there.

And Binion's estate still wants her to testify in probate proceedings, where allegations have surfaced that Murphy and Tabish may have cleaned out Binion's safe of valuables after his death. Murphy, who stands to inherit Binion's home, its contents and $300,000 in cash, has taken the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions in court about the missing items.

In the coming weeks, Roger and homicide detectives also are likely to examine every statement Carroll made before the grand jury looking for inconsistencies in her testimony.

There are indications that Carroll's testimony may have contradicted statements she reportedly made to Dillard and Wright.

Carroll said she never felt the need to take the Fifth Amendment before the grand jury. She also did not obtain a grant of immunity from prosecution before she testified.

Though she originally sought immunity, she decided against it upon consultation with her lawyer because she didn't want Roger to question her before she talked to the grand jury.

While Carroll testified, Bennett said he was offended by the way his client has been treated.

"She has absolutely gone through hell," Bennett said. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody."

Bennett said the timing was right for his client to do "her civic duty" and testify Thursday.

"She's coming in on her own free will," he said. "She didn't come here to be on one side of the other."

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