Rick Tabish released on parole

Under terms of his parole, Tabish, 45, will be required to find a job and live with his parents, Frank and Lani, in Missoula, Mont. He will be supervised by Montana parole agents until his prison term expires in March.

“Thank goodness he was paroled to the state of Montana,” said District Attorney David Roger, who obtained Tabish’s murder conviction in 2000. “Hopefully, we’ll never see Mr. Tabish in Las Vegas again.”

Roger, who rode a wave of publicity into office in 2002 as the lead prosecutor in the first Binion case, said Tabish’s parole ends another chapter in the well-followed story, which spawned several books, a cable movie and intense network television coverage.

But Roger added, “As I’ve said many times before, this case will never end.”

Yet to be found is Binion’s $300,000 antique coin and currency collection stolen from his house after his death, as well as rare Carson City-minted silver dollars and other valuables, which Binion’s family and friends estimated were worth millions of dollars.

Calls placed to Tabish’s parents and brother in Missoula were not immediately returned.

Tabish was granted parole by the Nevada Parole Commission in January, but Montana had to agree to his parole plan and living arrangements before he could be released to that state.

He and his secret girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, were convicted in May 2000 of killing Binion, a heroin addict and son of legendary casino owner Benny Binion. Murphy, who once worked briefly as a stripper, was the live-in lover of Ted Binion at the time of his death in 1998.

The Nevada Supreme Court overturned their murder convictions in 2003. And at their retrial in November 2004, both were acquitted of the murder charges but convicted again on burglary and larceny charges stemming from the theft of Binion’s $7 million silver stash buried in a vault in Pahrump.

Tabish remained in the Ely State Prison on other assault charges related to the murder case, while Murphy was released from prison after the second trial. She now lives in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Her Las Vegas lawyer, Michael Cristalli, said Monday that Tabish and Murphy no longer have any contact, but “Sandy is happy for his release and wishes him well.”

Binion’s sister, Becky Behnen, declined to comment.

Tabish grew up in Missoula, the son of a wealthy family with interests in the oil industry and a trucking company.

In a recent story, the Missoulian newspaper in Montana said Tabish must wear a monitoring bracelet around his ankle for 60 days and cannot travel outside Missoula and surrounding counties without approval of his parole officer.

He also may not have contact with his ex-wife, his children or his ex-wife’s family.

Despite his family background, Tabish by his 20s had been charged with a series of crimes, including drug possession and burglary.

The burglary case involved the theft of a painting, which later turned out to be a forgery but which at the time was valued at $600,000. Tabish took the painting from the home of an attorney who was representing him in another criminal case.

He served three years in the Montana state prison on a felony charge of criminal possession of drugs with the intent to distribute. He also was given a three-year deferred sentence on the burglary charge.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Contact reporter Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.