Sandy Murphy’s life story reads like a Hollywood thriller. In 2000, she was convicted of murdering her millionaire boyfriend Ted Binion in a sensational Las Vegas trial, branded as the city’s most notorious femme fatale. Prosecutors alleged that Murphy and her secret lover Rick Tabish conspired to kill Binion for his vast fortune of silver bullion and other assets.
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ContactHowever, Murphy’s convictions were later overturned on appeal in 2003 due to judicial errors. After a retrial in 2004, she was ultimately acquitted of all charges. Despite this legal victory, the stigma of her troubled past continued to follow her.
A New Life in Laguna Beach
But Murphy refused to let her past define her. In the years after her acquittal, she rebuilt her life, moving to the picturesque coastal town of Laguna Beach, California. There, she met her current husband, art dealer Kevin Pieropan, and together they opened the Coast Gallery.
At the Coast Gallery, Murphy has brought the work of acclaimed artists like surrealist Michael Cheval to Orange County. Though she had little prior experience in the art world, Murphy’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive have made the gallery a success. [1][2][3]
“She’s got a tremendous drive and a good work ethic,” says one of her clients, a local foot surgeon. “And she understands the business.” [1]
A Labor of Love
Murphy describes the gallery as “more a labor of love than a money-making business.” [1] In her free time, she takes up oil painting, with her abstract works inspired by a trip to Tuscany selling quickly. [1]
Despite only having two days off per month, Murphy raves about her newfound lifestyle – cooking fresh lobster at home, going boating, and even surfing, a passion she rediscovered after years behind bars. [1] Her social circle has even intersected with the likes of Gretchen Rossi and Alexis Bellino from “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” [1]
Clearing Her Name
Yet, even as she has found happiness in her new life, Murphy has not completely put the Binion case behind her. She remains determined to clear her name and be “a vindicated person” over the murder charges she was once convicted of. [1]
“I’m not going to let somebody say that I did something I didn’t do,” she says, slamming her hand on her desk for emphasis. [1] Though the robbery charges related to Binion’s buried silver fortune still linger, Murphy seems to have found a sense of peace and purpose in running her Laguna Beach art gallery.
Citations:
[1] https://orangecoast.com/feature/sandy-murphys-complicated-life
[2] https://anguilla.s3.sbg.io.cloud.ovh.net/what-ever-happened-to-sandy-murphy-celebrity-fm-1-official-stars-business-people-networ.html
[3] https://www.ocweekly.com/death-in-the-desert-cashes-in-on-locally-tinged-story-of-vegas-icon-ted-binion-6974668/
[4] https://www.ocregister.com/2010/01/22/oc-woman-and-vegas-murder-on-48-hours-mystery/
[5] https://www.distractify.com/p/sandy-murphy-now