A felon with an extensive criminal history who tackled and attacked a Las Vegas judge in January was sentenced on Tuesday to at least 26 years in prison.
According to KLAS, 31-year-old Deobra Redden was sentenced on Tuesday for attacking Las Vegas District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus on January 3 as the judge was sentencing the felon to prison in a different case. The outlet noted that during his September trial for attempted murder against the judge, Redden pleaded guilty but mentally ill.
KLAS reported that while Redden’s attorneys asked the court to have the defendant serve a concurrent prison sentence to the sentence he has already been serving for attempted battery, District Court Judge Susan Johnson declined to grant the defendant’s request and sentenced him to an aggregate term of 26-65 years in prison.
READ MORE: Video: Felon tackles, attacks judge in court
“It was not just retaliation or an attack on Judge Holthus,” Johnson said. “It was also an attack on the judiciary.” Johnson also noted that medical professionals evaluated Redden and determined that he knew the difference between “right and wrong.”
During the January 6 incident, Redden was recorded lunging over the judge’s bench, tackling Holthus, and engaging in a fight with court officials, who attempted to wrestle the repeat felon to the ground in an effort to protect the judge.
“I’m not a bad person, I’m not an evil guy,” Redden told Johnson prior to receiving his prison sentence on Tuesday. “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.”
According to The Post Millennial, during Redden’s court outburst in January, Holthus suffered injuries; however, she was able to return to work the next day. The outlet also noted that Michael Lasso, the judge’s clerk, received treatment for cuts on his hands, while a court marshal was hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder and a cut on the forehead.
KLAS reported that while Holthus did not speak during Tuesday’s sentencing proceeding, prosecutors read a statement from the judge.
“He made a conscious decision to kill me and made every effort to succeed,” Holthus said in the statement. “If he had his way, he’d be facing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for murder.”
