Video, photos show aftermath, injuries from Las Vegas judge attack

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Documents obtained by NewsNation local affiliate KLAS show the aftermath of an attack on a Las Vegas judge, including photos of her injuries and video of the man who attacked her spitting at an officer.

As KLAS first reported on Jan. 3, Deobra Redden, 30, a three-time felon, was in Judge Mary Kay Holthus’ courtroom for sentencing on a charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm.

Holthus was sitting behind the bench, which she described as four feet high when Redden ran up to her, jumped over the desk and attacked her, video shared with KLAS investigators showed. Several other people, including Holthus’ courtroom marshal and her law clerk, then fought with Redden before throwing him to the ground.

Last week, a Clark County grand jury voted to indict Redden on several charges, including attempted murder. Prosecutors had already charged Redden. The indictment means the case moves directly from Las Vegas Justice Court to Clark County District Court.

Photos showed a bloody scene, with blood on Holthus’ bench and on documents scattered in the area.

Paramedics attended to Holthus’ injuries, and she later went to the hospital for a scan, she told the grand jury. Photos her husband took later in the day show bruises on her body.

A marshal was also injured in the melee and suffered a large dash to his forehead and a dislocated arm.

“It hit hard. It was literally like getting hit by a car when you’re not sitting in a car,” Holthus said. “I had a headache for a couple days. Like I said, I still can’t sleep on my left arm and it’s still inflamed. My tailbone for two weeks was killing me. I took two weeks off a treadmill and all I do is walk on it and I couldn’t do that. I lost clumps of hair, but I guess that’s not really — it’s emotionally painful.”

In the minutes after the attack, officers took Redden to a holding cell and then to the Clark County Detention Center, which is connected to the Regional Justice Center via a tunnel. During the transition, Redden allegedly told an officer he had a bad day and was trying to kill Holthus.

Body camera video from the jail showed Redden spitting at an officer. There is a scuffle, and then the video cuts out.

In addition to attempted murder, the grand jury indicted Redden on eight other charges, including extortion and battery. The attempted murder charge carries an enhancement due to Holthus’ age.

Redden’s family said he struggles with his mental health and that the criminal system has failed him.

Holthus sentenced Redden the following week as the interrupted hearing continued. Redden, who was sentenced from 19 months to four years on an attempted battery charge, appeared in the courtroom wearing a mask and surrounded by court marshals as two Metro police officers held onto him. Before sentencing Redden, Holthus said she did not modify or change her decision on his sentence because of the attack.

Redden was in custody at the Nevada Department of Corrections after Holthus’ sentencing. He was due to be arraigned on the new charges stemming from the Jan. 3 attack on Feb. 29.

Amid four high-profile incidents over the past several months, a court spokesperson said the court was amending its security contract to supplement court marshals. The court also was working on additional safety and security measures and added marshals to courtrooms for “high-risk” events.

In addition, the spokesperson said the court allocated $1.7 million in security upgrades and was reviewing a possible courtroom redesign.