Was this overly harsh? A black man was sentenced to 26 years for throwing himself at a judge in a courtroom in Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.) Here is the video the incident: Judge attacked by defendant in Las Vegas courtroom - The Times and The Sunday Times The judge was about to announce the man's prison sentence for a 2023 "felony battery with substantial bodily harm" charge that he had previously pleaded guilty to. It seems like the man was arrogantly and casually expecting the judge to take it easy on him. But then the judge foreshadowed that she was not going to be so lenient on him: "Yeah, but I think it's time you get a taste of something else because [shaking head] I just can't let that history..." (The defendant apparently had a long criminal history) Then quickly as the judge was about to announce the prison sentence, the man lost his temper, "No, f(*)(*)(*) that!", and threw himself at the judge, jumping energetically over the bench and tackling the judge like a football player. The judge was a 62 year old white female. I mention the defendant's race not because I think there was any racism, but rather to give some idea of his big body size and strength. The court bailiffs immediately came to the assistance of the judge. The judge ended up suffering some minor injuries but did not have to go to the hospital. The black man's name is Deobra Redden, he was age 31. Another judge, Susan Johnson of the Eighth Judicial District Court for Clark County, sentenced him to "between 26 and 65 years" in prison for the attack in the courtroom. (They characterized his actions as "attempted murder", even though it's not really so clear that was really the case) In addition to that, he was later sentenced to "19 to 48 months" for the original felony battery charge (that the judge he attacked was about to sentence him to). Felon who attacked Las Vegas judge sentenced to decades in prison, by Kanishka Singh, Reuters, December 11, 2024
It feels overly harsh and unfair to me. I understand of course his behavior was unacceptable, and some serious punishment was inevitable. And the assumption is going to be made in any attack like that that serious injury or killing may have been intended. But still, this prison sentence seems far too long and harsh, in my view. This seems to go back to the argument between "public safety" and what a defendant actually fairly deserves (based on their actions and what their actions caused).
The felon fairly deserves to be separated from law abiding people. He attacked a judge...if he's willing to do that.....
New arrest reports unveil the backstory of the viral judge attack, aftermath of incident , by Martha Cruz, Channel 3 NBC News, January 5, 2024 Defendant who attacked Las Vegas judge sentenced to four years for initial felony, Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, Jan 8, 2024
They sort of used a legal trick to sentence him to that long. They charged him with every single criminal statute they could charge him with, and then the judge ordered that the sentences for each of the charges be served "consecutively" (rather than "concurrently"). In many situations, the law allows the judge to sentence the defendant to as long as they want, if the prosecutor throws enough charges at them.
It does seem a bit excessive but when you consider his long criminal record of violence, certainly not his first offense. If you have proven yourself too dangerous to be in the general public, then they have a place for people like that
I think it's harsh but there is an unspoken law of the land. If you attack or threaten judges or prosecutors you are f*****. It's pretty much the worst thing you can do.
Overly harsh?? I think he got off easy! WTF is wrong with this country today? We've got people cheerleading a cold-blooded murder, now you're suggesting that attacking a JUDGE, while ON TRIAL FOR A VIOLENT CRIME, that appears to be one of many (you know when you hear about someone with 25 felonies on their record, but is somehow not doing 20-life), and you think it's too harsh???? Not at all, in fact, given these specific circumstances, I would personally have no issues giving this guy the needle. He's a violent thug who thinks this sort of behavior is A-OK, and if he's not jailed for a very long time, he's going to kill someone, if he hasn't already and just got away with it.
