A judge has convicted David DePape in his state case, the man who pleaded guilty to federal charges earlier this summer for striking then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband on the head with a hammer.
America Reports’ senior correspondent Claudia Cowan has the details on the sentencing hearing.
On Friday, a federal jury convicted David DePape in the brutal home invasion of Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif). For the 2022 assault at the Pelosi residence, DePape was additionally convicted of kidnapping, false imprisonment, menacing a public servant and burglary.
According to FOX San Francisco, the jury reached its decision Tuesday night after having deliberated.
“Speaker Pelosi and her family remain in awe of their Pop’s bravery, which shone through again on the witness stand in this trial just as it did when he saved his own life on the night of the attack,” a Pelosi spokesperson said in a statement. “For nearly 20 grueling months, Mr. Pelosi has demonstrated extraordinary courage and fortitude every day of his recovery.”
The spokesman said the family had no further comment until the completion of sentencing.
A San Francisco Superior Court judge previously dismissed charges of attempted murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon against DePape because he had already been convicted for the same attack in federal court, raising double jeopardy concerns.
DePape was tried in federal court and convicted in May of the assault, and is serving a 30-year sentence.
The assault took place only days before the 2022 midterm elections and was captured on police body cams. On the morning of October 28, 2022, DePape unlawfully entered their home with a raised voice screaming “Where’s Nancy?” But she was in Washington, D.C.
Using a hammer, DePape took three whacks at Paul Pelosi, inflicting two head wounds and leaving the House Speaker’s son with a skull fracture being mended with brain plates and screws. His right wrist and hand were also wounded.
At his federal trial, DePape’s attorney argued that his client had become more withdrawn and deluded in the months before the attack due to conspiracy theories. He argued that DePape never went to Paul Pelosi’s home with the intention of killing him, but rather “acted explosively” as part of a twisted scheme.
DePape later confessed to authorities that he had planned to kidnap Nancy Pelosi, hold her against her will and interrogate her to confess that she lied about “Russiagate,” a reference to the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
During his appearance in court, DePape told the judge “I am horribly for hurting Mr. Pelosi” and conceded “I should have gone home when I found out Nancy Pelosi wasn’t there.”
