SANDY MURPHY BENEFACTOR DEAD
William Fuller, the elderly benefactor of Sandy Murphy, has died in California, it was learned Wednesday.
Fuller, a mining executive in his early 90s, came forward to provide financial backing for Murphy after she was charged with murdering former Horseshoe casino executive Ted Binion in 1998.
He put up $250,000 for her bail and reportedly loaned her more than $100,000 to help pay her legal fees. There were published reports that her legal fees for several trials exceeded $2 million.
Court TV reported that Fuller offered Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former prominent mob attorney, $2 million to help with the case. Goodman turned down the offer.
Fuller died Tuesday. He had been in failing health after a recent car accident and an accident at his home that left him with a broken vertebrae.
Murphy and her boyfriend Rick Tabish, Binion’s handyman, were convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison. Their convictions were overturned by the state high court. Murphy and Tabish were acquitted of murder after a second trial in 2004.
