Man Sentenced After Jumping Over Desk to Assault Nevada Judge in Courtroom
LAS VEGAS—A man recorded on video assaulting a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom after leaping over her bench and desk has been sentenced to several decades in prison.
Deobra Redden was sentenced on Tuesday to serve between 26 and 65 years in a Nevada prison following his attack on Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas.
Redden, 31, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in September to attempted murder and related charges, concluding his trial shortly after Holthus testified that she feared for her life when Redden jumped over her 4-foot-high bench and landed on her.
The incident occurred on January 3, just as Holthus was set to announce Redden’s sentence for a separate felony battery case.
The disturbing episode was recorded on courtroom video, showing the 62-year-old judge falling backward against a wall as Redden leaped over her bench and grabbed her hair, knocking an American flag down onto them. While Holthus sustained some injuries, she was not hospitalized, according to courthouse officials.
Deobra Redden appears in court as Judge Susan Johnson instructs attorneys before Redden’s trial at the Regional Justice Center, on Sept. 4, 2024, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
District Judge Mary Kay Holthus becomes emotional as she testifies against Deobra Redden during Redden’s trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, on Sept. 5, 2024. Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
According to Redden’s attorney, Carl Arnold, his client was not taking his prescribed medication for his diagnosed schizophrenia at the time of the assault.
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In September, Arnold stated that Redden’s plea represented a careful balance between acknowledging responsibility for a regrettable event and understanding the effects of his untreated mental illness during the incident.
On Tuesday, the Associated Press reached out to a spokesperson for Arnold for comments regarding Redden’s sentence.
During the court proceedings on Tuesday, Redden expressed that he did not intend to kill Holthus, as reported by KLAS-TV.
“I’m not using my actions as an excuse, but I want to clarify that I’m not a bad person and I did not intend to kill Mary Kay Holthus,” he stated.
Redden will be eligible for parole after 2050, according to KLAS-TV.
