Man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband with hammer sentenced to 30 years in jail

The person who attacked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer of their San Francisco dwelling has been sentenced to 30 years in jail in federal courtroom.

David DePape, 44, was discovered responsible in November of tried kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the fast member of the family of a federal official.

Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson Ms Pelosi, issued a press release on behalf of the Pelosi household, saying that “The Pelosi household couldn’t be prouder of their Pop and his super braveness in saving his personal life on the night time of the assault and in testifying on this case”.

“Speaker Pelosi and her household are immensely grateful to all who’ve despatched love and prayers during the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his restoration,” he added.

Prosecutors had argued for a sentence of 40 years. DePape’s public defence attorneys argued for 14 years, noting that he confronted hardship and didn’t have any earlier legal historical past.

DePape was handed a sentence of 20 years for one depend and 30 years for an additional – they are going to be served concurrently. He has been credited for the 18 months he has already spent in custody.

As he testified at trial, DePape admitted that he broke into the Pelosis San Francisco dwelling at 2am on 28 October 2022, and that he was set to take the then-speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He additionally admitted to placing Paul Pelosi, 82 on the time, with a hammer after police appeared on the residence. He stated his plan to place a cease to what he noticed as authorities corruption was coming aside.

As Choose Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentences, DePape was silent, generally wanting down the place he stood. The choose famous that he entered the house of a public official.

“He really went to the house, that’s fully, fully unprecedented,” she stated.

The assault was captured on police physique digicam video, going down simply days earlier than the 2022 midterms.

In a letter to the choose, Mr Pelosi outlined the assault, writing about how he was “woke up by a big violent man holding a hammer and zip ties” yelling “the place’s Nancy?”

Mr Pelosi stated he was adopted by DePape even after he turned conscious that Ms Pelosi was in Washington DC.

“He saved me hostage in my own residence saying he would look forward to her,” he wrote.

“He threatened me, saying he would tie me up and look forward to my spouse. He repeatedly stated that he might ‘take me out’,” he added.

After convincing DePape to go downstairs, Mr Pelosi confronted the blows of the hammer, leaving him unconscious in entrance of the cops who responded after the then 82-year-old made an emergency name from a rest room within the dwelling.

“After I awoke in a pool of my very own blood, I had extreme head, arm and hand accidents,” Mr Pelosi wrote.

Defence attorneys stated DePape was pushed on by his political views and never by a will to hinder the official work of a congresswoman, arguing that this made the costs invalid.

One of many attorneys famous that he had been concerned with conspiracy theories. The Canadian who moved to the US greater than twenty years in the past stated at trial that he was satisfied that the media lied about former President Donald Trump.

He additionally shared the baseless QAnon conspiracy principle on-line, which falsely argues that the folks answerable for the US authorities are paedophiles who worship the satan.

DePape informed the jury that he was planning on sporting an inflatable unicorn costume when recording his deliberate interrogation of the speaker.

He has additionally been charged in state courtroom with assault with a lethal weapon, elder abuse, residential housebreaking and different felonies. Jury choice is about to start on Wednesday.

“My head accidents proceed to have an effect on my life. My hair grew again — however I’ve bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metallic plate from cranium surgical procedure. The dizziness has not gone away,” Mr Pelosi wrote, noting that Ms Pelosi stays below 24-hour safety though she hasn’t been speaker since January final yr.

“We can’t absolutely take away the stain on the ground within the entrance entryway the place I bled,” he wrote, including that he doesn’t tackle the assault with household and avoids media studies about it.

In her letter to the choose, Ms Pelosi famous that Mr Pelosi has fainted on a number of events, can’t be uncovered to vivid mild throughout prolonged durations and principally “stays seated”.

“As soon as you’re attacked in such a public and political method with such threatening language, you all the time must concern a copycat,” she wrote.

“After I encourage folks — particularly girls – to think about operating for workplace, bodily threats to the household shouldn’t even be an element, however they’re,” Ms Pelosi added.

The Related Press contributed to this report