State trial underway for man sentenced to 30 years in prison for attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband

SAN FRANCISCO — The man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for bludgeoning Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer inside their San Francisco home returned to a courtroom Wednesday to face charges of the State, including attempted murder.

A federal jury found David DePape, 44, guilty of trying to take Pelosi hostage and assaulting her husband, Paul Pelosi, after he broke into their home on October 28, 2022, at the search for Nancy Pelosi, who was then Speaker of the House. A federal judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Assistant San Francisco District Attorney Sean Connolly began his opening statements by speaking about the sanctity of the home and the vulnerability of the elderly, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He also showed the jury a photograph of Paul Pelosi in a pool of blood after the attack. Paul Pelosi was 82 years old at the time of the attack.

“When we sleep, we are most vulnerable, and our elderly are our most vulnerable citizens,” he said. “Think about it: a house, in the middle of the night, a man alone, sleeping in his bed. »

Paul Pelosi went from peaceful sleep to living a “nightmare” life, Connolly said.

Opening statements began Wednesday, a day after DePape's federal sentence was reopened to allow him to speak.

In the state's case, the San Francisco District Attorney charged DePape with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary of a residence, false imprisonment, menacing death or serious injury against a public official and threats against the staff or family of a public official. DePape has pleaded not guilty.

DePape's defense attorney, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, told the jury that in the months leading up to the attack, DePape isolated himself and delved deeper into theories of plot, the newspaper reported.

Lipson said DePape lived in a garage without access to a bathroom in Richmond, a city 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, and spent almost all his waking hours playing video games and surf the Internet. He said DePape believed he could talk to fairies and read people's minds.

DePape was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, a mental health condition characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, Lipson said.

Addressing the jury, Lipson called the attack “a terrible thing” DePape committed. But, he said, his client never intended to kill Paul Pelosi; he simply “lashed out irrationally” when his ill-advised plan was thwarted.

District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley on May 17 sentenced DePape to 20 years in prison for the attempted kidnapping of Nancy Pelosi and 30 years in prison for the assault of Paul Pelosi, the maximum for both counts. The sentences would run simultaneously. Corley did not allow DePape to address the court before she was sentenced and corrected her mistake by reopening that portion of the trial Tuesday.

DePape's defense attorneys had asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years in prison, noting that he was going through a difficult time in his life at the time of the attack, that he suffered from undiagnosed mental health problems and that he had no criminal history.

On Tuesday, Corley apologized to DePape, 44, and to attorneys for his mistake and asked if he wanted to address the court.

DePape, wearing an orange shirt and orange pants with his hair in a short ponytail, said yes and began speaking quickly from a piece of paper.

“I'm sorry for what I did,” he said, adding that he felt horrible and that he never intended to hurt Pelosi and should have left home when he realized the old speaker was not there.

DePape admitted during his testimony at the federal trial that he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, interrogate her and “break her kneecaps” if she did not admit the lies he told about the ” Russiagate,” a reference to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The attack on Paul Pelosi was captured on police body camera just days before the 2022 midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. He suffered two head injuries, including a fractured skull that was repaired with plates and screws that he will keep for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured.

DePape said he plans to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his questioning of Nancy Pelosi to post online. Prosecutors say he had rope and zip ties with him. Detectives also found body cameras, a computer and a tablet.

DePape also testified under cross-examination that he told a San Francisco police detective that he had hoped to see an injured Pelosi rolling onto the House floor so that everyone would know there were injuries. consequences for being “the baddest person on the planet”.

Angela Chuang, one of his lawyers, said during closing arguments that DePape was estranged from his family and drawn into conspiracy theories.

Chuang said at his sentencing that DePape was first exposed to extreme beliefs by Gypsy Taub, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his children. Taub and their two children attended every hearing in the federal case.

Taub, a well-known pro-nudity activist in the San Francisco Bay Area, met DePape in Hawaii when he was 20 and she was in her 30s and pregnant, DePape's twin sister, Joanne Robinson, said in a letter to the judge. seeking clemency.

Robinson wrote that Taub isolated DePape from his family and inflicted “extreme psychological harm” on his brother.