Man Convicted of Attacking Nancy Pelosi’s Husband With a Hammer to Be Sentenced
The man convicted of attempting to abduct then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulting her husband with a hammer is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court Friday.
In November, jurors convicted David DePape, 44, of attempting to kidnap a government official and assaulting a federal official’s immediate family member. Prosecutors have sought Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley for a 40-year jail sentence.
DePape admitted during trial testimony that he stormed into the Pelosis’ San Francisco house on October 28, 2022, intending to hold the speaker hostage and “breaking her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to beating Paul Pelosi with a hammer when police arrived, saying his plan to end what he saw as government corruption was unraveling.
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The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was caught on police body camera video just days before the midterm elections, sending shockwaves through the political community.
DePape’s defense attorneys maintained that he was motivated by political ideas rather than a desire to interfere with the speaker’s formal duties as a member of Congress, rendering the charges against him unconstitutional.
During closing arguments, one of his attorneys, Angela Chuang, said that DePape was obsessed with conspiracy theories.
At the trial, DePape, a Canadian who emigrated to the United States more than 20 years ago, testified that he believed news outlets had routinely misled about former President Donald Trump. DePape’s rants on a blog and online forum, which were removed after his detention, echoed the unsubstantiated, right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon, which says that the US government is ruled by a network of devil-worshipping pedophiles.
DePape reportedly told jurors that he intended to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his interrogation of the Democratic speaker, who was not at home at the time of the incident and upload it online.
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Prosecutors claimed he had rope and zip ties on him, and police discovered body cameras, a computer, and a tablet.
Paul Pelosi also testified during the trial, describing how he was awakened by a huge man coming into his bedroom and asking, “Where’s Nancy?” When he replied that his wife was in Washington, DePape threatened to tie him up while they waited for her.
“It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Pelosi told the jury.
Pelosi received two head wounds in the attack, including a skull fracture that required plates and screws for the remainder of his life. His right arm and hand had also been wounded.
DePape is also facing charges in state court for assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, and other offenses. Jury selection in that trial is set to begin on May 22.