The Nevada man who “went viral” in a courtroom video earlier this year for physically attacking the judge has now pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
Actually, he pleaded “guilty but mentally ill.” This is a type of plea that has a chance of affecting what kind of facility a convict may be placed in if judged guilty of the crime. Deobra Redden, 31, first entered a guilty plea, but then amended it to “guilty but mentally ill.”
He was in court in January of 2024 before Judge Mary Kay Hotlthus to be sentenced on a charge unrelated to his current charges of trying to murder Judge Holthus. In video from the courtroom in January, the judge denied bond to Redden, saying it was “time he got a taste of something else.” She was referring to the fact that probation or a non-custodial sentence did not seem sufficient.
Redden can be seen jumping through the air and lunging at the judge on her bench. He then grabbed Holthus’ hair and it took several court officers and bailiffs to pull him off the judge. While Holthus was injured she returned to work the next day. Several other court officers needed medical treatment for everything from cuts to a dislocated shoulder.
Holthus testified as a witness against Redden this week, describing the violent scene in her courtroom. She said she was plagued with a headache for a few days and suffered pain from where Redden had pulled her hair out. Holthus said “he knocked me out of my shoes,” and that she was frightened that she would not leave the courtroom alive.
Redden is facing a laundry list of charges in this attempted murder case. They include battery of someone 60 or older that results in bodily harm, intimidating a public officer, battery with substantial injury to an officer, and numerous other assault-related charges.
Since Redden pleaded guilty, he will no longer be facing a jury trial, but will have his fate decided by a judge. The jurors were dismissed on the second day of the trial given the change to a guilty plea. His next hearing is scheduled for November 7, 2024.
