A 31-year-old man, identified as Deobra Redden who attacked a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom by vaulting over her desk has been sentenced to between 26 and 65 years in a Nevada prison.
Tuesday after pleading guilty but mentally ill in September to attempted murder and other charges stemming from the January 3 attack on Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus. The incident occurred as Judge Holthus prepared to sentence Redden in a separate felony battery case.
Courtroom video captured the violent moment when Redden leapt over the judge’s 4-foot bench, grabbing her hair and knocking over an American flag in the process.
The 62-year-old judge fell back against a wall but was not hospitalised, despite suffering minor injuries, according to courthouse officials.
During the trial, Judge Holthus testified that she feared for her life during the attack. Redden’s defence lawyer, Carl Arnold, attributed his client’s actions to untreated schizophrenia, explaining that Redden had not been taking his prescribed medication at the time.
Arnold previously described the plea as a balance between accountability and recognition of Redden’s mental health struggles. Speaking in court on Tuesday, Redden expressed regret but denied intending to kill the judge.