The Las Vegas judge who was violently attacked when a convicted felon leaped at her “Superman” style during his sentencing hearing last month broke her silence, saying he was “absolutely taking me out.”
Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus was the first witness called at Deobra Redden’s grand jury trial for attempted murder following his Jan. 3 courtroom attack on the 62-year-old.
Holthus recalled Redden telling her about “all the great things that he’s been doing” and his plans to get a job and become a “changed person,” while noting the defendant was “super calm,” according to her testimony transcript obtained by Fox5 Las Vegas from Feb. 7.
The judge recalled signaling to her court marshal to prepare for the sentencing, as she prepared to tell Redden he was being denied parole for an earlier conviction for attempted battery with substantial bodily harm.
Redden’s attorney at the time had asked for his client to be let out on parole, but Holthus noted the convicted felon was a repeat offender and thought something more punitive was in order.
“I think it’s time he got a taste of something else because I just can’t with that history,” the judge said at the time before Redden launched his now-viral assault on the judge.
“The next thing I know, he literally jumped that defense table and flew before I could even, and just slammed me into the wall,” Holthus added. “I don’t know what hit me where.”
Holthus said she wasn’t expecting the attack, as it was “incredibly fast,” but recalled her head being slammed into the marble wall where she suffered an injury that is still “lumpy and bruised.”
She also remembered Redden had, at one point, grabbed her hair and “threw her down backward,” before she curled into the fetal position while other court officials intervened as she lay there “absolutely terrified.”
The judge later described her attacker as very strong and credited him for his ability to bunny hop over the bench — elevated approximately four feet high — with ease.
Holthus also thanked her marshal and law clerk, because she feels, that without them, she wouldn’t have survived the attack.
“If they hadn’t been there, I would not be here,” Holthus stated. “I was no match. He was absolutely taking me out.”
“If it was just me, I wouldn’t have survived multiple blows to the head which is clearly where we were going with it. So I’m very thankful.”
During her testimony, Holthus shared with the grand jury the injuries she sustained in the attack, some of which she is still dealing with a month later.
Redden, whose family has said was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was in front of Holthus a week after the attack, but was secured in shackles, a spit mask and flanked on both sides by two officers.
He was sentenced to four years in prison for the 2023 attempted battery charge.
Along with the attempted murder of an older person, Redden was also charged with battery, intimidating a public officer with threat of force, extortion, and disregarding the safety of a person resulting in substantial bodily harm, according to court documents.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in the grand jury case on Feb. 29.
