Paul Pelosi’s attacker found guilty of attacking with a hammer and attempting to kidnap the then speaker’s husband – update
UPDATE with the verdict: After more than a year in the courtroom, a 10-person jury convicted him on federal charges of attempted kidnapping and assault.
SECOND UPDATE, November 1, 2022: David DePape, the suspect arrested in connection with the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their San Francisco home, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on Tuesday.
David DePape faces charges of attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. During a hearing in San Francisco Superior Court, his public defender pleaded innocent. DePape was ordered held without bail.
According to the court document, according to the Associated PressDePape told police he was on a “suicide mission” and planned to target other key figures and politicians.
The state charges are in addition to several federal charges filed following the attack that occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, including assault and attempted kidnapping.
UPDATE, October 31: San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has outlined a number of state charges against the suspect in connection with the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.
David DePape, 42, faces attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, and Jenkins said she would recommend he be held without bail. He also faces federal charges.
Jenkins stated that the incident “certainly unnerved all of us,” referring to the city’s past history of political violence. In 1978, former supervisor Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Jenkins called for toning down the political rhetoric, but some GOP candidates and other figures joked about the incident. On Monday, Kari Lake, running for governor of Arizona, made light attack during a campaign event.
PREVIOUSLY: The suspect in the break-in and attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was charged with a number of federal crimes and in a conversation with San Francisco police officers he admitted that he wanted to hold the Speaker of the House of Representatives hostage.
David DePape, 42, was charged Monday with assault and attempted kidnapping, in addition to the array of state charges he will face, according to the Department of Justice. Police say when they arrived at the Pelosi residence early Friday morning, the suspect struck Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, causing serious injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The FBI’s affidavit filed on Monday further undermines a number of conspiracy theories that have emerged among right-wing figures and that have been amplified by, among others, Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Nancy Pelosi was not at the residence during the break-in, but was in Washington
According to the statement you can read Here — DePape told officers in a taped interview that he planned to take Pelosi hostage and that if she told him “the truth,” he would “let her go,” and if she was “lying,” he would break her “kneecaps.” During the interview, he “later explained that after breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would have to be transported to Congress, which would show other members of Congress that his actions had consequences.” “He basically explained that he wanted to use Nancy to lure another person to his side.”
In questioning, the suspect stated that after he hit Pelosi with the hammer, he “explained that Pelosi’s actions caused” her husband “to accept the punishment instead,” according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement recovered zippers on Pelosi’s bedroom and a sound could be heard coming from the front door of the residence in the hallway, and also found a roll of tape, white rope, a hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves and a journal in the room, according to the statement. suspect’s backpack.
The affidavit says the suspect admitted to breaking into the house through the glass door, “which was a difficult task and required the use of a hammer.” He then told officers that Paul Pelosi was in bed and “seemed surprised” by his presence, and also told Pelosi that he was “looking for Nancy.” Pelosi went to the bathroom to call 911, but the suspect said he didn’t come out then because “like the American founding fathers, he fought with the British against tyranny without the ability to surrender.”
When police arrived and knocked on the door, Pelosi opened the door and then grabbed the suspect’s hammer, which he had in his hand.
“At this point in the interview, DePape reiterated that DePape had no plans to surrender and that he had done so
“will pass ‘through’ Pelosi,” the statement reads.
