Brenda Stokes Wilson

Background

Brenda Stokes Wilson, 50, was a former blackjack dealer. She was accused of killing 10-year-old Jade Morris and attacking a co-worker at the Bellagio casino. Police and family members said they believed the attacks were sparked by jealousy.

Jade Morris was Brenda Stokes Wilson’s ex-boyfriend’s daughter. Brenda Stokes Wilson was described as a friend of Philip Morris, the girl’s father. Philip Morris was said to have dated Brenda Stokes Wilson for about four years, and Jade had a “long and trusting relationship” with Wilson, according to Philip Tucker.

Philip Morris was recently engaged to Wilson at the time of the 1993 incident described in Mississippi history, and he later said Wilson admitted the incident to him years later and kept a record of her statement to investigators. Philip Morris was removed from court by armed court officers after shouting questions about his daughter’s whereabouts to Wilson and did not attend the hearings described.

A girlfriend/relative involved in the Las Vegas court proceedings was Brenda Morris, identified as Jade’s grandmother. Brenda Morris said family members were planning a Jan. 9 funeral.

The offence

Brenda Stokes Wilson picked up 10-year-old Jade Morris to go Christmas shopping around 5 p.m. Dec. 21. She returned the car she had borrowed for the outing to a friend a little after 7 p.m. Jade never came back, prompting a search that led to the discovery of her body six days later in an undeveloped housing tract.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office determined Jade Morris died from multiple stab wounds. Prosecutors said Morris’ blood was found on the steering wheel and door handle of the car Wilson was driving Dec. 21.

Later that night, Wilson was wrestled to the ground at the Bellagio with razors in each hand after allegedly slashing the face of her co-worker, Joyce Rhone, at around 9:30 p.m. Rhone was 44. Rhone was hospitalized with deep cuts on her face, including one from her ear to the edge of her mouth.

Investigation

The Clark County Coroner’s Office said Jade Morris died of multiple stab wounds. Investigators later found blood on the driver’s door and steering wheel of the 2007 Saab sedan.

Prosecutor Robert Daskas said, “She had blood on her hands.”

Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive for the slaying. Police and family members said they thought the attacks were sparked by jealousy, including a belief that Wilson thought Philip Morris had recently begun dating Joyce Rhone. Philip Tucker said, “It was just her imagination.” He also said, “There was nothing going on” between his son and Rhone. Attempts to reach Rhone were unsuccessful.

Brenda Stokes Wilson told police she asked her doctor days earlier to admit her to a hospital because she felt like she wanted to hurt someone. She also told police she had stopped taking prescribed anti-anxiety medication. She told investigators she visited her doctor “due to feeling like she wanted to hurt someone.”

During court, Tony Liker alleged the DNA evidence against Wilson was inconclusive and said Jade’s parents should be considered suspects.

Arrest

Brenda Stokes Wilson was arrested on Dec. 21 at the Strip resort after she slashed the face of fellow blackjack dealer Joyce Rhone with razor blades at the Bellagio. She was held without bail at the prosecution’s request.

Trial

On March 6, 2013, Brenda Stokes Wilson entered a plea of not guilty in Clark County District Court before District Judge Kathleen Delaney. Trial was set to proceed in front of District Judge Kathleen Delaney, with the scheduled trial date referenced as June 23, 2014. The record also referenced that trial was set for July 15.

Sentencing

No sentencing was described in the provided material.

Appeals

No appeal was described in the provided material.

Outcome

Brenda Stokes Wilson remained in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

Other details

Indictment and charges

A Clark County grand jury indicted Brenda Stokes Wilson. The indictment included first-degree kidnapping, murder, burglary, attempted murder, battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and mayhem, all with use of a deadly weapon.

A judge in Justice Court set an evidence hearing for March 28 on murder, kidnapping, burglary, attempted murder, battery causing substantial bodily harm and mayhem charges, each with use of a deadly weapon, that “could get Stokes Wilson life in prison or the death penalty.”

Court statements and relationships

After the not-guilty plea, Jade’s father, Philip Morris, said, “I don’t know why she doesn’t just plead guilty.”

Outside court after the kidnapping and murder charge, Brenda Morris said family members believed Wilson plotted to kill Jade to hurt Philip Morris, who was in Billings, Mont., at the time.

In the court hallway, Brenda Morris’ fiance, Terrance Williams, dismissed Tony Liker’s allegations as “trying to build a smoke screen to blame someone else.”

Tony Liker said, “She intends to plead not guilty to the charges against her.”

At an evidence-related hearing, prosecutor Robert Daskas told Senior Clark County District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure, “It’s no secret the defendant is the suspect in the murder of 10-year-old Jade Morris.”

Las Vegas police homicide Capt. Chris Jones said, “As soon as we get all the evidence in that we need, we’ll book her on the murder charges,” and later called the slaying “unfathomable.”

Bail and detainment

A judge raised Wilson’s bail from $60,000 to $600,000 Friday morning after she was identified as the prime suspect in the child’s killing.

At the prosecution’s request, the judge ordered Wilson held without bail.

Alleged previous violence history mentioned in the record

The record described events in Moss Point, Mississippi in connection with an aggravated assault indictment in 1994. It said that Stokes was accused of attacking a former lover with a razor blade and that the indictment said: “Manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life and being a means likely to produce death or serious bodily injury.”

The record also said residents claimed Stokes nearly cut off Daryl J. Stennis’ penis and that Stokes planned the attack in a jealous rage. It further said that some charges against Stokes were dismissed after Stennis refused to testify against the mother of his children. It also stated that in 2001 Stokes was charged with misdemeanor battery after she hit her supervisor at America West airlines in the head with a hot coffee pot at McCarran International Airport, and that the case was dismissed after she successfully completed counseling.

The record stated that Wilson married Adrien Gullette Wilson in 1998 and that it was unclear whether the couple ever divorced. It said Wilson no longer lived in Las Vegas and declined comment.

Immigration and travel details within the record

The record said Philip Morris worked at a Flying J truck stop for more than a year and lived in Billings, Mont. It also said Philip Morris worked two jobs in Montana for the past year and had no interaction with Rhone. It stated that Jade’s father would stay with Wilson when he visited Las Vegas.