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At the beginning of the year, countless people across the world saw the shocking courtroom recording of Deobra Redden throwing himself over Judge Mary Kay Holthus’ podium and attacking her.
Redden launched himself over the bench when Judge Holthus refused his plea for probation. Claiming she couldn’t “with that history,” the judge began reading his sentence, and Redden pounced. This viral moment got Redden dubbed by the media and internet as the “flying felon” and “judge jumper.”
However, some questions remain: Who is Deobra Redden? Is he just a violent and irrational person by nature who should remain locked up for a long time for the public’s safety? Or is there something more that might explain, even if not justify, the outlandish show of aggression?
What’s known of Deobra Redden’s past
Deobra Delone Redden is 31 years old, 6’1″, and weighs 190lb. Before his most recent and notorious offense, he already had a few felonies on his record — one of his prior charges being Domestic Battery in the 3rd degree.
But most of what we know of his background comes from the interview with his sister and foster mother. Both believe that the system has failed Redden, and that’s what they claim he feels.
His sister explained that Redden was born with crack cocaine in his system. His foster mother adopted him, along with his siblings, from the foster care system at 12 years old. Even then, his foster parent was told that he was “severely emotionally disturbed.” On top of that, Redden has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, for which he began being medicated in jail.
When he was 18, he left the house and “branched out on his own.” He’d been released from prison about 6 weeks before the attack on Judge Holthus. According to his foster mother, he’d got an apartment, was in contact with parole and probation officers, and was, overall, “doing everything right.” She also said that Redden, “in his mind,” was counting on showing up to work the following day, not going back to prison. With this, Redden’s foster mom corroborates what he was telling Judge Holthus about being “in a better place” right before the attack.
His mother also explained that he had not slept well the night before seeing Judge Holthus, and was “hearing voices” that day. Both family members believe that he “snapped.” The two defend that he’s a good and kind person at heart and that, ideally, he should be in a mental facility getting help for his illnesses and not in prison.
What’s next for Redden
During opening statements, his attorney, Carl Arnold, stated Redden was not taking his medication at the time of the attack and emphasized that his client did not have the intention to kill Holthus.
Before going to trial, Redden had maintained he was not guilty of the attempted murder charge. As his trial kicked off in September, the three-time felon changed his plea to guilty to all of the charges in a second amended indictment, which means that, under Nevada law, his defense now has the burden to prove he was clinically not in his right mind when he threw himself at the unsuspecting Judge. His attorney stated:
“We deeply respect the pain and trauma experienced by Judge Holthus, and we continue to express our utmost sympathy for her and her family. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that Mr. Redden receives the appropriate legal and medical support he needs to address his mental health challenges. This plea reflects a delicate balance between accepting responsibility for a regrettable incident and recognizing the impact of Mr. Redden’s untreated mental illness at the time.”
Judge Holthus and her clerk, Michael Lasso, whom she has known for over a decade, have testified at Redden’s trial. Holthus got emotional recalling her thoughts at the time of the incident, momentarily believing she would die and her kids would have to see her final moments recorded on TV.
Redden faces a maximum of about 90 years in prison for all his charges combined. It will ultimately come down to Judge Susan Johnson to decide his sentence.