Defendant who leapt at judge over court bench in Las Vegas attack faces seven new charges
A defendant who launched an astonishing attack on a judge in Las Vegas before becoming embroiled in a mass brawl with staff is facing seven new charges.
Deobra Delone Redden, 30, was wrestled to the floor by several court and jail officers and courtroom staff members after he leapt over a court bench and landed on top of Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus.
She had just made it clear she intended to put him behind bars over a previous attempted assault.
Judge Mary Kay Holthus fell back from her seat against a wall. Pic: AP
As the court officer moved to handcuff him, Redden yelled expletives, charged forward and leapt over the judge’s bench.
During the incident on Wednesday, Judge Holthus fell back from her seat against a wall and suffered some injuries, but was not hospitalised.
She returned to work on Thursday and Redden will face her again on Monday morning for his rescheduled sentencing, according to Chief Judge Jerry Wiese.
Redden was jailed on $54,000 bail in connection with the attack but refused to return to court on Thursday on the new charges.
Deobra Delone Redden, 30, in court moments before the attack. Pic: AP
Records show that he now faces 13 charges in total, including extortion and coercion with force.
Seven of the new counts are battery on a protected person, referring to the judge and officers who came to her aid.
At a news conference, Judge Wiese shared a statement from Judge Holthus.
“She wanted me to thank all of the well-wishers and others who have expressed concern for her and her staff,” he said.
“She is extremely grateful for those who took brave action during the attack.”
Redden had to be wrestled off the judge by her law clerk, Michael Lasso, and several court and jail officers – including some who were seen throwing punches.
One court official was taken to hospital for treatment after sustaining a gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder, according to officials and witnesses.
Judge Wiese credited Lasso for his quick action, saying he was the “primary person” who pulled the defendant off the judge “and probably kept her from having more severe injuries”.
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Redden was initially in court over allegations he attacked a person with a baseball bat last year.
Shortly before the courtroom attack, Redden had asked the judge for leniency in her sentencing, describing himself as “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is”.
“I’m not a rebellious person,” he told the judge, later adding that he did not think he should be sent to prison.
“But if it’s appropriate for you, then you have to do what you have to do,” he added.
Redden’s defence lawyer, Caesar Almase, has declined to comment since the incident.
US
California: 21 children taken into custody – amid claims couple misled surrogate mothers across the US
Police have taken 21 children into custody, amid allegations that a couple in Los Angeles may have misled surrogate mothers across the US.
Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65, are believed to be the legal parents of the children, who are aged between two months and 13 years old.
“We believe one or two were born biologically to the mother,” Lieutenant Kollin Cieadlo said. “There are some surrogates who have come forward and said they were surrogates for the children.”
“The couple told police that they wanted a large family,” he added.
The home of Silva Zhang and Guojun Xuan, northeast of downtown Los Angeles
Fifteen children were removed from the couple’s home in Arcadia, about 13 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, after an abuse allegation was made. Another six living in the care of family and friends were also located.
The couple were arrested in May after a hospital reported that their two-month-old infant had a traumatic head injury – with a nanny accused of violently shaking the baby.
The infant was not taken to hospital until two days later, after they began suffering seizures.
CCTV footage recorded inside the home showed the children being emotionally and physically abused by at least six nannies.
The couple’s property had CCTV cameras, which police said recorded footage of abuse by nannies. Pic: AP
Lt Cieadlo said Zhang had produced what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates, including some from outside California, that list her as the mother of the children.
Business records show a company called Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC was previously registered at the couple’s address, although the most recent documents show the business licence ended in June.
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Police said they are investigating whether the children found at the home in the San Gabriel Valley were part of a surrogacy scam.
Lt Cieadlo also confirmed officers were working with the FBI as part of their investigation.
Kayla Elliott, one of the surrogate mothers who has come forward, told Sky’s US partner NBC News: “I was a bit hysterical. You just don’t expect that you’re going to go through a pregnancy and a delivery and then hand the baby over to their parents and then all of a sudden find out that there was abuse and neglect going on.”
Arrest warrants were issued for Zhang, Xuan and the 56-year-old nanny, who was not in custody on Wednesday. Zhang and Xuan were detained on suspicion of child endangerment/neglect.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which removed the couple’s children, declined to comment on the case.
Disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell could use “government misconduct” to challenge her imprisonment, her family has claimed.
The 63-year-old, who was jailed in 2022 for luring young girls to massage rooms for Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Maxwell’s family have frequently claimed she “did not receive a fair trial”, but legal appeals against her sex trafficking convictions have been rejected by the courts.
The latest challenge from the Maxwell family comes as President Donald Trump faces questions over whether or not he will order the release of the so-called Epstein “client list”, following a backlash from Republican loyalists who have called for any list to be made public.
Ghislaine Maxwell. Pic: US Department of Justice
Judges previously dismissed arguments from Maxwell’s lawyers that she “should never have been prosecuted” because of a “weird” agreement drafted more than 15 years ago.
The family argue that Maxwell should have been protected under an agreement Epstein had entered with the US Department of Justice in 2007, which agreed not to prosecute any of his co-conspirators.
During her trial in 2021, Maxwell was described as “dangerous” by prosecutors, who told jurors about how she would entice vulnerable girls to go to Epstein’s properties for him to sexually abuse.
In a statement, her family said: “Our sister Ghislaine did not receive a fair trial.
“Her legal team continues to fight her case in the courts and will file its reply in short order to the government’s opposition in the US Supreme Court.”
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David Oscar Markus, one of her lawyers, said in the statement released by her family: “I’d be surprised if President Trump knew his lawyers were asking the Supreme Court to let the government break a deal.
“He’s the ultimate dealmaker and I’m sure he’d agree that when the United States gives its word, it should keep it.
“With all the talk about who’s being prosecuted and who isn’t, it’s especially unfair that Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison based on a promise the US government made and broke.’
“These are sentiments with which we profoundly concur.”
Epstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
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