A man who was captured on video attacking a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom after vaulting over her bench and desk has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Deobra Redden was ordered on Tuesday to serve between 26 and 65 years in a Nevada prison for the attack on Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus, CBS affiliate KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported.
Redden, 31, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in September to attempted murder and other charges, ending his trial shortly after Holthus had testified that she feared for her life when Redden vaulted over her 4-foot-high bench and landed on her.
The attack happened Jan. 3 as Holthus was about to deliver Redden’s sentence in a separate felony battery case.
The violent scene was captured by courtroom video that showed the 62-year-old judge falling back from her seat against a wall as Redden flung himself over her bench and grabbed her hair, toppling an American flag onto them. Several other people, including Holthus’ courtroom marshal and her law clerk, fought with Redden before throwing him to the ground, KLAS-TV reported.
Clark County District Court via AP
Holthus suffered some injuries but was not hospitalized, courthouse officials said.
Redden’s defense lawyer Carl Arnold has said his client was not taking his prescribed medication to control his diagnosed schizophrenia at the time of the attack.
Arnold said in September when Redden entered his plea that it “reflects a delicate balance between accepting responsibility for a regrettable incident and recognizing the impact of Mr. Redden’s untreated mental illness at the time.”
The Associated Press sent an email Tuesday to a spokesperson for Arnold seeking comment on Redden’s sentence.
Redden said in court Tuesday that he did not intend to kill Holthus, KLAS-TV reported.
“I’m not a bad person, I’m not an evil guy,” Redden said. “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, I know I cared about her wellbeing.”
Holthus did not speak during the sentencing, KLAS-TV reported, but prosecutors read a statement from her.
“He made a conscious decision to kill me and made every effort to succeed,” the statement said.
Redden will be eligible for parole sometime after 2050, KLAS-TV reported.