Where is Sandy Murphy now? Acquitted waitress to feature on 'NBC Dateline' rerun of Ted Binion murder
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: High-profile murder cases are almost always grounded in greed, jealousy, and deception. And when the mystery of a city like Vegas is added to it, things become a lot more complicated.
The death of casino owner Ted Binion more or less remains an unsolved case even after the officials and the jury reached multiple conclusions. While a woman was on the verge of being sentenced for the crime, she was eventually freed without any serious charges, along with her then-lover.
NBC's true crime show 'Dateline' will do a rerun of the episode that investigated the death of Binion in detail, including exclusive interviews with the convicted woman Sandy Murphy. The episode will air on Friday, August 11, 2023, at 8 pm ET.
Who is Sandy Murphy?
As a rich man, Binion had a history of being promiscuous and frequented clubs for late-night parties. He was known to be sexually involved with multiple women simultaneously, resulting in his divorce from his first and only wife.
Sandy Murphy was one of the women he was involved with. This was also the affair that ended Binion's marriage. Murphy was an employee at a strip-cocktail club, where they most probably struck up their relationship.
She was one of the first suspects in Binion's murder, considering she had discovered his dead body. Murphy was found to have been cheating on the tycoon with one of his trusted business partners, Rick Tabish.
That relationship raised suspicions, as Tabish was one of the few people who was aware of Binion's buried silver treasure.
It was later found out that after Binion's death, Tabish tried to unearth his buried treasure - the Binion's Hoard. However, he didn't succeed as the investigators caught him red-handed.
Where is Sandy Murphy now?
According to the different sources, Sandy Murphy now lives peacefully with her husband Kevin Pieropan Laguna Beach of Orange County.
The Nevada Supreme Court brought up a retrial after the discovery of significant errors in the previous court proceedings by Judge Bonaventure. Subsequently, Murphy and Tabish were acquitted of Binion's murder charges.
Instead, they were charged with other petty crimes. Tabish was charged with robbery, which kept him in jail until 2010. He made money off crypto mining and currently lives in Montana.
Murphy managed to lead a normal life after being cleared of all allegations regarding Binion's murder. She went on to marry Kevin Pieropan, who shared the former cocktail waitress' love for art. She had to serve time for robbery but did not have to return to prison thanks to her previous time in jail.
Why were Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish retried?
After being sentenced to 22 and 25 years respectively the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the sentence claiming that Clark County District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure made a mistake in his deliberation instructions to the jury. The new trial began in October 2004 and both were acquitted of murder but charged with burglary and grand larceny. Murphy did not serve any time in prison after the judge considered her time served. Tabish was eventually released on parole in 2010.