Man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband sentenced in California court

June 22 (UPI) – A month after being sentenced to 30 years in prison, a state court in California convicted the attacker of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband on five counts.

On Friday, the jury found 44-year-old David DePape guilty of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, threatening a family member of a public official, aggravated kidnapping and preventing or deterring a witness by force or threat. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a news conference on Friday. A hearing date has not yet been set.

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DePape already faces a 30-year prison sentence for his conviction in November in connection with the October 28, 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi.

In San Francisco, Judge Harry M. Dorfman dismissed three of the charges against DePape: attempted murder, assault on an elderly person and assault with a deadly weapon, because DePape’s defense argued that it amounted to double jeopardy.

DePape broke into the Pelosi family home in Pacific Heights because he was convinced that Nancy Pelosi was part of an evil conspiracy of liberals to ruin the country.

He was able to hit Paul Pelosi three times with the gavel before he was subdued by police, who captured the attack on the officers’ body-worn cameras.

DePape testified in his own defense in court, telling the jury that he was looking for Nancy Pelosi and that her husband was not on his target list. He was “surprised and confused” when he found out she was not home, he said.

“I tell him, ‘I have other goals, but if you stop me, I will walk through you,'” DePape said, recalling a conversation with Paul Pelosi.

“I reacted. I hit him on the head,” he continued. “I reacted because my plan was basically ruined.”

His defense attorney plans to appeal the verdict.

“He has led a very isolated and lonely life and has been involved in many situations involving conspiracy theories,” said defense attorney Adam Lipson. “And he also has a mental illness that he is currently dealing with.”

“It’s really unfortunate that he was charged in this way. It was a textbook kind of vindictive prosecution.”

Phoebe Maffei, an assistant district attorney in San Francisco, argued in court that DePape conducted months of extensive research before attempting to kill Paul Pelosi in a “reign of terror.”

She said DePape smashed Pelosi’s skull with a hammer and severely damaged Pelosi’s left hand to the point where it was no longer fully functional.

Aaron Bennett, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement Friday that the family was “grateful for the kind thoughts and prayers they continue to receive,” adding: “Speaker Pelosi and her family will refrain from further substantive comment until the verdict is announced.”