LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Deobra Redden was brought in shackles to a Las Vegas courtroom on Thursday morning to be arraigned on a slew of felony charges related to an attack on a local judge in open court.
Video of the attack showed Redden leaping the judicial bench during a sentencing hearing on unrelated charges.
He is accused of battery and attempted murder on Judge Mary Kay Holthus, along with a number of other charges related to the attack and his behavior in jail afterward.
Appearing before Judge Susan Johnson on Thursday, Redden's defense attorney noted his client would invoke his right to a speedy trial and intends to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
In previous court hearings, Redden and his defense counsel have raised the issue of Redden's mental illness.
They say he's been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
"After seeing the video, just like everyone else I thought Mr. Redden was out of mind or on drugs," said attorney Carl Arnold, who was hired by Redden's family. "After extended conversations with Mr. Redden, Ms. Springer and other family members, I came to find out he suffered from extreme paranoid schizophrenia."
Arnold said prior to the judge attack incident and on the day of the incident, Redden was not on medications.
"Bottom line in trial, we'll be able to prove because of his mental defect that he suffered under a delusional state," Arnold said.
Karen Springer, the foster mother of Redden, said Redden has been struggling with mental illness all of his life.
"When I first got him, he was diagnosed with severe emotional disturbance," said Springer, who said he's taken care of Redden since he was 12 years old.
Springer said Redden doesn't remember much about the judge attack. After finishing a prison sentence for a previous battery conviction, Springer said Redden appeared to be on the right path.
"He was out. He had a place to stay, a job, you know just trying to do everything better," said Redden. "He was thinking he was going to go and the guilty plea deal was already made to get probation."
Arnold said Redden's mental illness has always been an issue in all of his cases.
In grand jury testimony, Judge Holthus testified she knew Redden had a mental illness but explained "you've been through mental health court twice and you graduated and you still come back to the same place."
Redden had asked for leniency in sentencing, arguing he was on a path toward improvement. But when Holthus moved to sentence him to prison time in the battery case, Redden leapt the bench, cursing at her and throwing punches.
Redden's trial is scheduled for April 29.
