Mysterious death of Las Vegas casino magnate Ted Binion on ‘Dateline’
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(NBC News) — Friday on “Dateline,” Keith Morrison re-examines the mysterious death of casino magnate Ted Binion, after a chance encounter on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Here is a preview of Morrison’s report:
Ted Binion was a man of contradictions — a good old boy who liked to hunt — but also collected art. Who drank whiskey straight up, but at times, smoked heroin. Who drove a battered, old, pickup truck but gave Sandy a shiny new Mercedes. Who had tens of millions in the bank — but was widely known to keep piles of cash in his home. Not to mention the silver he stashed at the casino or buried out in the desert like some sort of swashbuckling pirate.
And while he was most comfortable in a work shirt and Wranglers, Ted wanted Sandy to dress in a way that men would notice, telling her:
SANDY MURPHY: “I want you to be able to go buy beautiful clothes and beautiful clothes are expensive. I want you to be able to go to dinner when you want so that you have money whenever you want and you don’t have to ask me because I don’t want my woman to work.” He had his role and — and I had mine. And my role was to be the woman of the house and to take care of him.
KEITH MORRISON: And look good.
SANDY MURPHY: Not really to look good–
KEITH MORRISON: Yeah, well–
SANDY MURPHY: But I wanted to be attractive for my man.
A man old enough to be her father, but wealthy enough for her to pretend he wasn’t. At least that’s how Ted’s sister Becky Behnen viewed it — pretend.
BECKY BEHNEN: And I thought maybe she was just going to be a passing fancy. I thought that it would be something that would just be something that would come into his life and go on, and then there’d be someone else. But I was wrong.
Watch “What Happened in Vegas,” on “Dateline” Friday at 9 p.m. on NBC4.
About ‘Dateline’
“Dateline NBC” is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 32nd season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy.
The stories range from compelling mysteries to powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. When major news breaks, they go to the scene, putting the pieces together to bring the viewer the full picture. And in every story they tell, they help the real people who lived the events share their journeys with the viewer.
