Paul Pelosi Attacker Convicted of Hammer Attack and Attempted Kidnapping of Then-Speaker’s Husband – Update

UPDATED with verdict: After more than a year in court, the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul was found guilty of attempted kidnapping and assault.

2nd UPDATE, November 1, 2022: David DePape, the suspect arrested in the attack on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home in San Francisco, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday.

David DePape is charged with attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. His public defender entered a not guilty plea at the trial in San Francisco Superior Court. DePape was held without bail.

According to a court filing, DePape told police he was on a “suicide mission” and had plans to target other key figures and politicians.

The state charges add to several federal charges filed after the attack in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, including assault and attempted kidnapping.

UPDATE, October 31: San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins outlined a series of charges against the suspect in the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.

David DePape (42) is charged with attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. He will be arraigned Tuesday, and Jenkins said she will recommend that he be held without bail. He also faces a federal lawsuit.

Jenkins said the incident “definitely put all of us on edge,” referring to the city’s history of political violence. In 1978, Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White.

Jenkins appealed to political rhetoric, but some Republican candidates and other figures joked about the incident. Kari Lake, who is running for governor of Arizona, spoke about the attack at a campaign rally on Monday.

EARLIER: The suspect in the burglary and attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, has been charged with a series of federal crimes and admitted in an interview with San Francisco police officers that he wanted to take the speaker of the House hostage.

David DePape, 42, was charged Monday with assault and attempted kidnapping, according to the Justice Department, adding to a slew of state charges he is expected to face. When police arrived at the Pelosi residence early Friday morning, the suspect hit Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, seriously injuring him. He is expected to make a full recovery.

An FBI affidavit filed Monday also debunks a series of conspiracy theories that have emerged among right-wing figures and have been boosted by the likes of Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Nancy Pelosi was not in the house during the break-in, but was in Washington, DC

According to the affidavit — which you can read here — DePape told agents in a taped interview that he planned to take Pelosi hostage and that he would let her go if she told him the “truth,” and if she did, will she “lie”. he would “break her kneecaps”. During the interview, he “later said that Nancy’s broken kneecaps necessitated rolling her into Congress, which would show other members of Congress that their actions have consequences.” He also said “in general terms that he wanted to use Nancy to lure something. a different person to you.”

In the interview, the suspect said that after hitting Pelosi with the hammer, he “stated that Pelosi’s actions resulted in” her husband “taking the punishment instead,” the affidavit said.

Police officers found zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway they heard the front door of the house open and a roll of duct tape, white string, a hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves and a diary in the suspect’s backpack found. , according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the suspect admitted to breaking into the home through a glass door, “which was a difficult task that required the use of a hammer.” He then told the officers that Paul Pelosi was in bed and “seemed surprised by him” and told Pelosi that he was “looking for Nancy.” Pelosi went to the bathroom to call 911, but the suspect said he didn’t leave then because “like the American founding fathers of the British, he fought against tyranny without the possibility of surrender.”

When police arrived and knocked on the door, Pelosi opened it and then grabbed the suspect’s hammer, which he was holding.

“At this point in the interview, DePape reiterated that DePape had no intention of quitting and that he did.
would “go through” Pelosi,” the affidavit said.