Las Vegas Judge Recounts Horrifying Courtroom Attack by Acrobatic Assailant

The Las Vegas judge brutally attacked by an acrobatic felon who leaped over her court bench says she was totally horrified and would have been killed if court staff had not rushed to her aid.

On February 7, Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus provided grand jury testimony in the attempted murder case of Deobra Redden, according to a transcript obtained by Fox 5 Las Vegas. Redden was recently indicted on the felony charge for his courtroom assault on Holthus.

In January, Redden was recorded by a TV news crew jumping over the bench and pummeling Holthus as the staff pulled him off and restrained him. When the footage hit the airwaves, it immediately went viral.

In her testimony, Holthus said she started off the sentencing hearing that day by listening to Redden talk about his plans to get a job to make a positive change in his life, pointing out that he was "super calm." Redden's attorney then asked the court to release his client on parole.

But, Holthus ignored the request and decided to revoke Redden's parole after his conviction for an unrelated attempted battery with substantial bodily harm.

The judge highlighted that Redden was a repeat offender who needed to get a "taste of something else because I just can’t with that history."

Per the grand jury transcript, Holthus recalled, “The next thing I know, he literally jumped that defense table and flew before I could even, and just slammed me into the wall. I don’t know what hit me where.”

She said the ferocious attack was totally unexpected and "incredibly fast," as Redden slammed her head against the marble wall.

At one point, Holthus remembered Redden gripping her by the hair and "throwing her down backwards," while she curled up in a fetal position, laying there "absolutely terrified." She said she suffered injuries all over her body, which were now "lumpy and bruised."

Despite the vicious beating, Holthus gave Redden props for his athletic abilities to easily jump over her elevated four-foot-high bench.

She also shared her gratitude for court personnel, stating, “If they hadn’t been there, I would not be here. I was no match. He was absolutely taking me out.”

Holthus added, “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.”