LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The man who attacked a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom pleaded guilty but mentally ill to an attempted murder charge on Thursday, abruptly ending a trial that had just begun.
Deobra Redden confirmed to Judge Susan Johnson that he agreed to a guilty plea on seven counts, moments after a jury heard testimonies from Judge Mary Kay Holthus and a law clerk regarding the January attack.
“Did you do that, sir?” Judge Johnson asked Redden.
“Yes,” Redden responded.
Before the trial commenced this week, Redden had already pleaded guilty to six counts, with prosecutors agreeing to drop two additional counts. Sentencing is now set for November 7.
After finalizing Redden’s plea, Judge Johnson informed the jury that the case had been “resolved” and excused them from further service.
On Thursday, Judge Holthus took the stand as the first witness in Redden’s trial. During her testimony, a video from the January attack and the events leading up to it was shown.
The video included a prosecutor highlighting Redden’s history of violent crimes, which include home invasion, domestic violence, and battery on a protected person. The prosecutor requested a prison sentence based on this history.
In the video, Redden speaks for himself, while his attorney requests a suspended sentence, noting his completed probation programs, mental health history, and background.
“I appreciate that, but I think it’s time that he get a taste of something else,” Holthus said in response. “Because I just can’t with that history.”
During the video, Redden swears at Holthus, leaps over the bench, and attacks her. The ensuing chaos saw Holthus’ clerk, Michael Lasso, and a court marshal intervening to restrain Redden.
“I was down on the ground and I could just hear— I could just feel him going— someone going at me,” Holthus recounted in court. “It was Mr. Redden because that’s where he was. And I could feel someone trying to pull him off and [someone says], ‘Leave her alone.’ Like they’re fighting over me.”
She added, “As soon as I was clear enough, I literally rolled onto my bench in the fetal position.”
Holthus expressed her fear for her life and concern over the potential impact of the recorded attack on her family.
“I know that there’s video, and there’s a part of me going, I’ll be dead, but I have three kids,” she said. “They’re gonna watch, and that’s what they’re gonna see. That’s what was making me so mad. Not what he was doing to me, but what he could do to my family.”
Before the trial, Redden had pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge. His attorney, Carl Arnold, argued that Redden did not intend to kill Holthus during the attack.
On cross-examination, Holthus confirmed she did not suffer any broken bones but could not recall specific details of the attack, such as the number of hits or whether Redden used a closed fist.
Prosecutors also called Lasso to testify about witnessing and intervening in the attack. The plea change was entered before Lasso could be cross-examined by Arnold.
