SAN FRANCISCO – The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley announced the sentence for 44-year-old David DePape, whom jurors found guilty last November of attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on a right away member of the family of a federal officer. The public prosecutor had demanded a jail sentence of 40 years.
DePape was sentenced to twenty years in a single case and 30 years in one other case. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also credited for the 18 months he spent in custody.
DePape admitted in the course of the trial that he broke into the Pelosi home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022, aspiring to take the speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to beating Paul Pelosi to death with a hammer after police showed up and said his plan to finish what he saw as government corruption had faltered.
The attack on then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi was captured on video by a police body camera just days before the midterm elections and sent shockwaves throughout the political world.
Defense attorneys argued that DePape was motivated by his political views and never because he desired to interfere with Nancy Pelosi's official duties as a member of Congress, making the fees against him moot.
One of his lawyers, Angela Chuang, said during closing arguments that DePape was steeped in conspiracy theories.
At trial, DePape, a Canadian who moved to the United States greater than 20 years ago, testified that he believed news outlets had repeatedly lied about former President Donald Trump. In tirades posted on a blog and online forum that were removed after his arrest, DePape reiterated the baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that the U.S. government is run by a cabal of devil-worshipping pedophiles.
DePape also told jurors that he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his interrogation of the Democratic speaker, who was not home on the time of the attack, to upload online.
Prosecutors said he had ropes and zip ties on him, and investigators found body cameras, a pc and a tablet.
Paul Pelosi also testified on the trial and recalled being woken up by a big man who burst into the bedroom and asked, “Where's Nancy?” He said when he answered that his wife was in Washington, DePape said , he would tie him up while they waited for her.
“It was a huge shock when I realized someone had broken into the house and when I looked at him and looked at the hammer and cable ties I realized I was in serious danger so I tried to be as calm as possible possible to stay,” Pelosi told the jury.
DePape also faces charges in state court of assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other crimes. Jury selection in that trial is predicted to start Wednesday.
Paul Pelosi suffered two head wounds within the attack, including a fractured skull that was repaired with plates and screws that he’ll wear for the remainder of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured.
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