Las Vegas mom accused in daughter’s death bound over to District Court

By Dave Toplikar

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 | 11:15 a.m.

A woman charged with murder for allegedly stabbing and killing her 6-year-old daughter with a pair of scissors — after she sensed an “evil” presence in the girl — will have her case now go to Clark County District Court.

Danielle Slaughter, 27, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. May 3 in District Court on a felony charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the March 11 death of her daughter, Kyla Franks.

Prior to Tuesday’s scheduled preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court, Slaughter’s public defender, Andrea Luem, spoke in the courtroom to Slaughter, who was crying and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

When Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure called the case, Luem told him that Slaughter had decided to waive her right to the hearing.

Bonaventure then asked Slaughter directly if she understood the rights she was giving up in the lower court on the felony offense. He explained that in a preliminary hearing, the state would present its witnesses and that Slaughter would have a chance to confront and cross-examine those witnesses, present her own evidence and testify.

The judge told her once she got to District Court, she would have the right to a jury trial. Slaughter said she understood.

After binding her over on the murder charge, Bonaventure ordered that Slaughter would continue to be held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center.

Luem was not available after the hearing to answer questions about the case. Several people in the back of the courtroom appeared to be there for Slaughter but would not talk to reporters.

Police said they think the stabbing took place sometime before 6 p.m. March 11.

They began receiving 911 calls shortly after 6 p.m. March 11 about a woman running east on the north side of Vegas Drive near Jones Boulevard. The woman was described as barefoot, with blood on her hands and screaming. Police said they received other calls that the woman was shedding clothes as she continued to run to the east and was reported to be naked at Michael Way.

Officers said they found her at 6:14 p.m. at Vegas Drive and Leonard Lane, where she ran from them and was eventually caught and taken into custody at Vegas Drive and Decatur Boulevard, naked, the arrest report said.

At the time, Slaughter told officers the blood came from the “Lamb of God,” according to the arrest report. Although they could not find any injuries on her, they took her to Valley Hospital, according to the arrest report.

Officers said they later received a 911 call about 8:55 that night that the girl’s body was discovered in the master bedroom of her home in the 1600 block of Palmae Way. The call was made by by Ashton Lyken, who identified himself as Slaughter's boyfriend, according to a police report.

Lyken told detectives Slaughter had called him to say Kyla was dead, but Slaughter was nowhere to be found when Lyken arrived at the home, the arrest report said.

Detectives said the girl likely died from stab wounds to the neck from scissors, which were found near her body.

Police said they tracked Slaughter to the hospital's emergency room, where she was about to be discharged. Slaughter told them the incident was out of character for her and repeatedly expressed disbelief that she killed her daughter, the arrest report states.

Slaughter blamed an “evil presence” she had been feeling in the house for several days, acknowledging the need to remove evil from the dwelling, according to the arrest report.

The report said that Slaughter told officers that she had brought her daughter into the bedroom and held her while sitting on the edge of the bed.

The report said “Kyla began to kick and scratch at Danielle. Danielle stated Kyla was saying evil words to her and ‘laughing in an evil voice.’ Danielle stated she picked up scissors that were lying on the desk by the computer and ‘struck’ Kyla multiple times with them.”

Slaughter told detectives she had been taking the supplement Hydroxycut, a dietary aid, for the previous four days and had been having trouble sleeping and had slept only one hour the previous night, the arrest report said.