Man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband with hammer sentenced to 30 years in prison

The man who attacked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer in their San Francisco home has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

David DePape, 44, was convicted in November of attempting to kidnap a federal official and assaulting a member of a federal official's immediate family.

Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Ms. Pelosi, issued a statement on behalf of the Pelosi family after the sentencing, saying that “the Pelosi family could not be more proud of her pop and her immense courage in saving her life the most. night of the crime.” attack and to testify in this case.

“Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to everyone who has sent love and prayers over the past 18 months as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery,” he added.

Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year prison sentence. DePape's public defense attorneys argued for 14 years, emphasizing that he faced hardship and had no criminal history.

On Friday, a California federal court sentenced DePape to 20 years in prison on one count and 30 years on another, to be served concurrently. It was deducted from the 18 months he has already spent in detention.

During his trial testimony, DePape admitted to breaking into Pelosi’s San Francisco home around 2 a.m. on Oct. 28, 2022, and that he was prepared to take the then-House Speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi, 82 at the time, with a hammer after police arrived at the residence. He said his plan to end what he saw as government corruption was falling apart.

As Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentences, DePape remained silent, occasionally looking down at where he stood. The judge noted that he had entered a public servant's home.

“He actually went home, it's completely, totally unprecedented,” she said.

The attack was captured on police body camera, taking place just days before the 2022 midterm elections.

In a letter to the judge, Mr. Pelosi described the attack, writing how he was “awakened by a large violent man holding a hammer and zip ties” shouting 'where is Nancy?'

Mr. Pelosi said he was followed by DePape even after learning that Ms. Pelosi was in Washington, DC.

“He held me hostage in my own house saying he would wait for him,” he wrote.

“He threatened me saying he was going to tie me up and wait for my wife. He repeatedly said he could 'get me out,'” he added.

After convincing DePape to come down, Mr. Pelosi suffered the hammer blows, leaving him unconscious in front of police officers who intervened after the 82-year-old made an emergency call from a bathroom in the house.

“When I woke up in a pool of my own blood, I had severe injuries to my head, arms and hands,” Pelosi wrote.

Defense attorneys said DePape was driven by his political beliefs and not a desire to obstruct the official work of a congresswoman, arguing that made the charges invalid.

One of the lawyers noted that he had been interested in conspiracy theories. The Canadian, who moved to the United States more than two decades ago, testified at his trial that he was convinced the media lied about former President Donald Trump.

He also shared online the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, which falsely claims that U.S. government officials are devil-worshipping pedophiles.

DePape told the jury he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume while recording the speaker's planned interrogation.

In addition to the federal charges, DePape was also charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other crimes. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

“My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair has grown back – but I have bumps on my head from hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away,” Pelosi wrote, noting that Pelosi remains under 24-hour security even though she has not spoken since January of last year.

“We cannot completely remove the stain on the floor of the main entrance where I bled,” he wrote, adding that he does not discuss the attack with his family and avoids media reports about it.

In her letter to the judge, Ms. Pelosi noted that Mr. Pelosi had fainted several times, could not be exposed to bright light for long periods of time and “generally remained seated.”

“Once you are attacked in such a public and political manner with such threatening language, you always have to fear a copycat,” she wrote.

“When I encourage people – especially women – to consider running for office, physical threats to family shouldn’t even be a factor, but they are,” Pelosi added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.