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Brenda Stokes appears in Las Vegas Justice Court for a hearing at the Regional Justice Center on Friday, December 28, 2012.
By Jackie Valley (contact) 
Published Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 | 10 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 | 11:08 a.m.
Jade Morris
A judge revoked bail for Brenda Stokes, the woman accused of attacking a Bellagio co-worker and killing 10-year-old Jade Morris, during a court hearing Wednesday morning.
Stokes, 50, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, murder with use of a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and mayhem with use of a deadly weapon, according to an amended criminal complaint.
Stokes was arrested the night of Dec. 21 after she slashed Joyce Rhone, a fellow blackjack dealer, with razor blades at the Bellagio, according to a Metro Police report. Rhone survived the attack.
Hours earlier, Stokes allegedly picked up Morris, the daughter of a man she had dated, to go shopping. The girl never returned home, triggering a search by authorities, family, friends and volunteers.
On Thursday, six days after Morris disappeared, her body was found in an area under development in North Las Vegas. The Clark County Coroner's Office determined the girl died of multiple stab and incised wounds.
Robert Daskas, chief deputy district attorney, said a DNA analysis confirmed Morris' blood was found on the steering wheel and door handle of the car Stokes was driving Dec. 21. Blood found on Stokes' clothing inside her apartment also matched Morris, Daskas said.
"That's just sort of the highlights of what we know at this point," Daskas said, while arguing for no bail.
Tony Liker, Stokes' hired defense attorney, opposed the prosecution's request, noting the defendant intended to plead not guilty to all charges.
Liker, who called Stokes a "wonderful woman," said he met Stokes several years ago when representing her daughter in an accident case. Stokes raised three children — a daughter who graduated from UNLV and works in California and two sons who attend colleges in Texas and Ohio — as a single mother, Liker said.
"I don't think it meets the profile of someone who would kill a 10-year-old girl," Liker said. "She has no criminal history whatsoever."
Liker said Morris' parents, Philip Morris and Tejuana Reeves, had been considered suspects in the young girl's death but now were "pointing the finger at my client."
Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis, however, accepted the prosecution's recommendation, revoking Stokes' bail. Her bail had been $600,000.
"As it stands now, the likelihood of guilt seems great," Lippis said. "That doesn't mean she is guilty."
Citing security concerns, Lippis also denied the defense's request to allow Stokes to wear a wig and street clothes to her hearings. Stokes, shackled and surrounded by court marshals, stood silent throughout the hearing.
Lippis scheduled Stokes' preliminary hearing for March 28.
Outside the courtroom, Reeves hugged her mother and brushed aside the defense's assertion she and Philip Morris could be involved in their daughter's death.
"I'm not worried about that," Reeves said. "I'm not worried about that at all."
Family members said Morris' funeral would be Jan. 9 at Bread of Life Ministries, near Simmons Street and Lake Mead Boulevard in Las Vegas.
"wonderful women" don't kill a 10 year old with a scissor and slash the face of a co-worker in a jealous rage. It's always the same..."a wonderful person" sitting in court in a blue or orange jumpsuit.
Trial, convict, execute...and life goes on.
This girl stood zero chance in the care of this woman. I still contend that somewhere along the way this monster exhibited behavior that should have given this girls parents a reason to not let her care for their child.
Look at the scared eyes of Brenda Stokes in the courtroom photograph attached to this article!
I got news for her, this is nothing. This is just the beginning. Wait till she gets to prison and most every other inmate is drooling at the opportunity to put Stokes' head on a platter in regards as to how she tortured and murdered that innocent little girl, Jade Morris.
It is for sure the state will punish Brenda Stokes by incarceration for this horrific act.
But, in the end, its the other inmates who will ultimately and in a necessary brutal fashion wait for their opening to finish Stokes off that may privately provide a tad of true retribution for those who loved Jade.
There are at times "just desserts" that are served behind bars by convicts upon other inmates that have committed violence against children where the prison officers just cannot seem to thwart these type of attacks! Get my point???
Everyone is entitled to a spirited defense, but "wonderful woman" and blaming the parents? Dad wasn't even in town at the time. Liker (attorney), how do you look at yourself in the mirror?
Public defenders have to take all who come, but the article said he was hired for money. That blood doesn't wash off that easy when you have it on your hands, dude.
Also, what a stupid defense. Okay, so we are supposed to believe that a woman in a jealous rage who slashed a coworker after taking this child for a Christmas shopping trip was the victim of circumstance? The blood in the car she borrowed was planted or something? Give me a break.
Trying to throw suspicion on the family was vile.
Unless the police messed up the collection of blood on her clothes then this should be a slam dunk case.
The defense will try to drag out the court hearings for a couple of years to see what happens.
Then a couple of months before the court date she will agree to for life without parole sentence.
She will be in county jail all that time.
State prison is much better than county time.
She should go ahead and plea out.
Time for Nevada to fire up "ol sparky" Nevada Energy could use some business!
@Sgt Rock, Good . I hope she enjoys the bologna sandwiches and weak kool-aid that I'm told they give you at county.
What happened to her insanity defense? You know- where missing a single dose of Xanax caused her to do this? I guess the medical records didn't bear out the whole "Please put me in a hospital before I hurt someone" thing.