The man convicted of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s house and beating her husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer will be sentenced to federal prison on Friday.
November 2023 saw the conviction of David DePape for breaking into and attacking the Pelosis’ San Francisco home on October 28, 2022.
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DePape admitted that he was asking Nancy Pelosi about Russian interference in the 2016 election and intended to hold her hostage, but only Paul Pelosi was present when he broke in.
According to the federal complaint, DePape informed detectives that if Nancy Pelosi stated the truth, he planned to “let her go,” but if she “lied,” he was going to smash “her kneecaps.”
Paul Pelosi testified on the stand that DePape continually asked him, “Where is Nancy?”
DePape struck Paul Pelosi, then 82, with a hammer, causing serious injuries, including a skull fracture.
During the trial, DePape expressed regret for his injuries. “I reacted because my plan was basically ruined.”
After a conviction for attempted kidnapping of a federal officer or employee and assaulting a federal official’s direct family member, federal prosecutors want DePape to serve 40 years in prison.
“The defendant planned a violent hostage-taking of the Speaker Emerita and then nearly killed her husband,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memo. “The defendant planned and unleashed violence and has stayed true to his belief that the actions were necessary.”
Prosecutors declared, “This country does not permit the defendant to teach violent lessons, and the sentence this court imposes must reflect the nature and circumstances of the offense.”
DePape faces state charges, including attempted murder, and has pleaded not guilty. The state has scheduled his trial for May 22.
