A man who attacked a judge, Deobra Redden in a dramatic courtroom incident has been sentenced to up to 65 years in prison in Nevada.
The 31 year old was handed a sentence ranging from 26 to 65 years on Tuesday, December 10, for the attempted murder of Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus.
The sentencing follows a guilty plea Redden entered in September, in which he acknowledged being mentally ill at the time of the attack.
The incident, which took place on January 3, was captured on courtroom video.
Redden was about to be sentenced in a separate felony battery case when he vaulted over the judge’s 4-foot-high bench and attacked her.
The video showed Judge Holthus, falling back against a wall as Redden grabbed her hair, knocking over an American flag in the process.
Although she sustained minor injuries, Holthus was not hospitalized. She later testified that she feared for her life during the attack.
Redden’s lawyer, Carl Arnold, explained that his client was not taking prescribed medication for his diagnosed schizophrenia at the time of the incident.
Arnold described the plea as a “delicate balance” between accepting responsibility and recognizing the impact of Redden’s untreated mental illness.
In court, Redden expressed remorse, stating, “I’m not making excuses for my actions, but I’m saying I’m not a bad person and I know that I did not intend to kill Mary Kay Holthus.”
Judge Holthus, who delivered the sentence, emphasized the seriousness of the attack. Redden’s sentence ensures he will remain in prison until at least 2050, when he becomes eligible for parole.
