Vegas Negotiations

William Coulthard came to Las Vegas in 1946 and served as the first head of the local FBI field office. After retirement he stayed in Las Vegas as attorney and businessman. He had stake in the ownership of the land that the Horseshoe Casino was located on.

Benny Binion’s lease for the land was set to expire and Coulthard was the lone holdout to renew it. The car bomb connected to his cars ignition killed him instantly and negotiations ended on the third floor of this parking garage on July 25, 1972. A $75,000 reward was offered for information leading to the killer(s) and multiple leads were pursued but no arrests were made and the case remains open. The FBI believed that Benny Binion was likely responsible for ordering the hit but it was only ever a theory.

The remaining landlords signed a 100 year lease.