Courtroom Chaos: Lengthy Sentence Handed to Man for Violent Attack

Deobra Redden received a 26 to 65-year prison sentence for attacking Judge Mary Kay Holthus in a Las Vegas courtroom. Despite pleading guilty and blaming mental illness, Redden's actions were deemed an attack on the judiciary. The incident was captured on video, showing chaotic scenes of violence.

In a dramatic sentencing this week, Deobra Redden was handed a prison term of 26 to 65 years for a violent attack on Judge Mary Kay Holthus in a Las Vegas courtroom earlier this year. Redden, aged 31, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges, citing mental illness as a factor in his actions.

The attack unfolded in January, when Redden leaped over the judge's bench in a chaotic scene captured on video. As Judge Holthus attempted to evade the assault, Redden was subdued by two men and a courtroom officer. The incident was labeled by Judge Susan Johnson, who imposed the sentence, as "an attack on the judiciary."

Redden had previously been in custody for a 2023 battery charge, to which he had pleaded guilty, as well as past convictions for attempted theft in 2019 and domestic battery in 2021. The courtroom attack was a stark escalation of his criminal history, drawing widespread attention due to the violence and setting.

(With inputs from agencies.)