Tuesday, May 13, 2003 | 10:55 a.m.
Three years ago William Cassidy was riding high in Las Vegas.
He had taken leave as a top aide to Mayor Oscar Goodman to serve as the lead defense investigator in the well-publicized Ted Binion murder trial.
It wasn't unusual to see the hard-drinking Cassidy, wearing a $5,000 Brioni suit and dark Ray-Ban sunglasses, flaunting his political influence as he drove around town in a Mercedes.
But that was before Cassidy met his now-estranged wife, a 41-year-old Chinese immigrant who worked as a massage therapist.
Today, he's sitting in the Clark County Detention Center in a heap of trouble with the law. He's facing a series of felony charges, including sexual assault and arson, stemming from an alleged rape of his wife and a fire at her massage studio in February. If convicted on the sexual assault charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Cassidy's fall from grace is the result of his stormy relationship with his wife, who testified before the grand jury that indicted him on April 22. He has two previous convictions for domestic battery against her.
Though he was regarded as abrasive, tough as nails, even devious, during his days as Goodman's right-hand man, the 52-year-old Cassidy looked more like a defeated lovesick man during a two-hour jailhouse interview last week. He appeared obsessed with his wife, frequently shedding tears while reminiscing about the good and the bad times the couple shared.
"My heart is broken," Cassidy said. "I want her to know that I still love her 100 percent. That will never change. When you're over 50 and you fall in love, you fall pretty hard."
During her grand jury testimony, Cassidy's wife portrayed him as someone who was insanely jealous of other men she befriended. She said he became violent and abusive when he drank, which was most of the time.
Cassidy testified that he was framed by his wife, who he contended was the abusive one in the relationship. He described her as a woman with psychological problems who had threatened to cause him trouble.
The grand jury chose to believe his wife, probably because Cassidy's memory of the events leading to his indictment are clouded by his drinking. Prosecutors pointed out numerous inconsistencies in his testimony.
As he fights the charges from his jail cell (he's representing himself), Cassidy is pretty much alone. He probably had more enemies than friends at City Hall, but most of those who were close to him, including Goodman, now have distanced themselves from him.
There's even a question of whether Cassidy has his heart in the battle. He said he's just "going through the motions" preparing for trial because his top priority is not to win an acquittal but, believe it or not, to get back together with his wife. He hopes to accomplish both goals by confronting his wife on the witness stand during the trial.
It would be easy to gloat over Cassidy's misfortune and say this is payback for the times he ran roughshod over people in his life.
But it's also possible to feel compassion for a man who has fallen so hard so fast -- even if he has himself to blame for it all.
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