A man captured in a shocking video earlier this year attacking a Nevada judge by leaping over the bench, has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to attempted murder, according to reports.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that 31-year-old Deobra Redden pleaded guilty before his trial began on Tuesday to six charges, though he maintained he was not guilty of attempted murder against a victim 60 or older. When he returned to court Thursday, Redden withdrew the pleas and instead entered a guilty but mentally ill plea to each count.
The charges Redden pleaded guilty to include battery of a protected person aged 60 or older resulting in substantial bodily harm, intimidating a public officer, battery on an officer resulting in substantial bodily harm, willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property resulting in substantial bodily harm, battery by a prisoner and unlawful act related to bodily fluid.
Pleading guilty but mentally ill could affect the type of facility Redden is placed inside a prison as well as the type of mental health treatment he can receive.
NEVADA MAN SEEN ATTACKING CLARK COUNTY JUDGE IN VIRAL VIDEO SENTENCED TO UP TO 4 YEARS
Defendant Debra Redden lunges toward Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus at a sentencing hearing on January 3, 2024. (Screenshot/Fox News)
Only Jan. 3, Judge Mary Kay Holthus was gearing up to inform Redden of his punishment inside Clark County District Court before the scene descended into chaos when Redden was denied bond.
In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, Redden’s attorney requested the judge give his client probation.
“I think it’s time he got a taste of something else,” Holthus responded.
Redden is then seen flying in the air over the bench with his arms and legs outstretched, before landing on the judge.
VIDEO SHOWS NEVADA MAN LEAP AND ATTACK CLARK COUNTY JUDGE AFTER BEING DENIED PROBATION
Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus presides in the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 8. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/AP)
The defendant, who had grabbed the judge’s hair, had to be wrestled off her by her clerk, Michael Lasso, and several court and jail officers, some of whom threw punches. Lasso was treated for cuts on his hands and a marshal was hospitalized for a dislocated shoulder and a gash on his forehead. Holthus suffered some injuries but was back to work the next day.
FOX 5 in Vegas reported that before Redden pleaded guilty on Thursday, Holthus and the court clerk who jumped in to pull the suspect off the judge, took the stand.
Holthus was the first witness and walked through her process of reviewing cases and determining probation and sentencing terms.
LAS VEGAS COURTROOM ATTACK HIGHLIGHTS ISSUE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST JUDGES, EXPERTS SAY
Deobra Redden, who was seen in a viral video attacking District Judge Mary Kay Holthus, appears again in front of Holthus to complete his sentencing at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Jan. 8, 2024. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The judge could not recall if she sent Redden to jail or if he was already in custody, adding that she ruled that his probation was revoked.
Holthus also said Redden remained calm during the hearing in January, and it seemed like a typical hearing.
Once the video played out in court, the station reported, Holthus became emotional.
“Obviously, I hit my head, my family didn’t want me driving, and so my daughter wanted to go get a scan,” Holthus said. “I had a headache for a few days and the spots where he had pulled out the hair… it was sore where he had pulled out. My back, my arm, everything was stiff like you know when you get jostled around.
“He knocked me literally, almost through the wall, out of my chair. He knocked me so hard; he knocked me out of my shoes,” she added. “He was so determined and so violent and so it was scary. I didn’t think I was going to get out of there.”
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Redden’s case was intended to go to a jury trial, but when Redden changed his plea, the jury members were dismissed. He is expected back in court on Nov. 7, 2024.
Redden’s criminal record is marked by mostly violent offenses and includes prior convictions for three felonies and nine misdemeanors, District Attorney Steve Wolfson said, according to The Associated Press. He previously served prison time in Nevada on a domestic battery conviction, records show.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
