Deobra Redden, the man who made headlines in January after a video showed him lunging at a Nevada judge who denied him probation, was handed a prison sentence of between 26 and 65 years over the incident, The Associated Press reported.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Redden attacked Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing for domestic battery. The violent January 3 incident, which was captured by courtroom video, showed Redden, 31, lunging at Holthus, 62, after leaping over a defense table, per The Associated Press.
Redden’s sentencing came after he entered a guilty but mentally ill plea to charges including attempted murder in September. During his trial, Holthus took the stand and told the court that she felt her life was in danger when Redden lunged at her.
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After lunging at Holthus, a brawl ensued before Redden was subdued. The attack caused Holthus to fall from her seat. Courtside officials said she also sustained injuries but did not need to be admitted to the hospital. However, a courtroom marshall who intervened was hospitalized after he suffered a dislocated shoulder and cut on his forehead, officials and witnesses told the news outlet at the time.
Redden was not being held when he appeared before the court. The 31-year-old was, however, arrested and taken into custody after he attacked the judge.
Carl Arnold, who is Redden’s defense lawyer, argued that the convicted man suffered from schizophrenia, adding that he was not on the medication prescribed to manage his condition when he attacked the judge.
After Redden pleaded guilty in September, Arnold said the 31-year-old admitting to the offense “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.”
“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,” Redden also told the court.
