Las Vegas Strip Pancake House Murder Suspect Remains Jailed
Posted on: August 26, 2022, 08:53h.
Last updated on: August 26, 2022, 10:39h.
A convicted murderer is once again behind bars without bail awaiting a September court appearance for a recent fatal stabbing. The deadly incident took place earlier this month at a pancake restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Anthony Reed, 52, of North Las Vegas, Nev., is charged with murder in connection with the incident which occurred on the Las Vegas Strip on August 13. Police said Darius Stokes, 24, was stabbed in the back of the head outside the eatery. Stokes died the next day.
Reed is unlikely to receive bail since he’s already on parole in connection with a prior murder case in California, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Reed Admits to Punching Victim
Reed admitted to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers that he punched Stokes to protect his sister. She was being verbally abused by him, Reed told cops. He denied involvement in any stabbing.
Stokes was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center for treatment where doctors initially thought he suffered a brain aneurysm.
Surveillance video from the restaurant, however, showed Reed making a swinging motion toward the back of Stokes’ head, police said. In his hand was some kind of sharp object, police claim.
After repeated exams, doctors eventually found a wound in Stokes’ head. It was about the size of a tip of a pen, the Review-Journal said.
Nighttime Meal
That night began routinely enough as Stokes reportedly went to the restaurant with coworkers for a 3:30 am meal.
When members of the group noticed Stokes wasn’t with them inside the IHOP, one concerned worker went outside and found him lying in the parking lot.
LVMPD officers say surveillance video shows Reed leaving the parking lot in his sister’s car shortly after the incident. Still, Reed denies murdering Stokes.
I am not a stabber, I shoot,” Reed was quoted in a police report, KLAS, a local TV station, reported. Stokes had been “talking trash” to his sister and he “had to defend her,” Reed revealed to officers.
Details on the earlier murder case involving Reed in California were not immediately available.
Stokes Worked at Lo-Lo’s
This summer, Stokes began working at Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles, a soul food restaurant chain with a location in Las Vegas, KLAS said, based on information from his family.
Stokes was living in Kentucky before recently moving to Nevada where he has relatives.
The IHOP where the murder took place is located seven-tenths of a mile from The Strat Hotel, Casino & Skypod. Also nearby is the Sahara Las Vegas.
Another Convict Charged
Another convict was arrested last week for shooting two victims during a struggle at the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas.
The May incident left one man paralyzed and a woman with leg wounds.
Kristopher Gonzales, 26, of Las Vegas, was charged in Las Vegas Justice Court for the May 15 shootings. His counts include attempted murder and battery, each with the use of a deadly weapon, according to the Review-Journal.
In 2016, he was convicted in Nevada for conspiracy to commit robbery, the report said.
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Source: casino.org
