Paul Pelosi Attacker David DePape Receives Life in Prison
Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
The man who attacked former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband, Paul Pelosi, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, without the possibility of parole.
Prior to the life sentence being issued in the state case, DePape’s attorneys reportedly requested a new trial, according to ABC News. This request was denied by San Francisco County Judge Harry Dorfman.
In May, DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison in a federal case for having attacked Paul with a hammer at the Pelosi residence in California. DePape was also found guilty of attempting to kidnap Nancy, who was not home at the time DePape showed up.
LISTEN: Paul Pelosi’s 911 Call
The Pelosi family issued a statement in response to DePape’s “sentence of life without parole,” noting that it gives their “Pop some measure of legal justice” and hopefully sends a “message to others that political violence against elected officials or their family members” is not okay:
Since the violent break-in and shout of “where’s Nancy?” two years ago, not a day goes by that we do not think of this devastating assault, its trauma — or the possibility of future attacks. Today’s sentence of life without parole gives our Pop some measure of legal justice and, we hope, a message to others that political violence against elected officials or their family members will not be tolerated, minimized or condoned. We must each do our part to build a peaceful democracy.
DePape, who is a former Canadian nudist activist, arrived at the Pelosi home in October 2020 with the intention of talking to Nancy about Russian interference that took place in the 2016 presidential election.
The Guardian reported in November 2023, DePape had testified that along with speaking with Nancy about the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, he had “planned to” dress up in an “inflatable unicorn costume and upload his interrogation of her online.”
During his testimony before a federal jury, DePape expressed that he was “sorry” he had hurt Paul and added that “he was never” his target.
As Breitbart News’s Nick Gilbertson previously reported, body camera footage showed the front door of Nancy and Paul Pelosi’s home opening, and a police officer can be heard saying, “Hi, how are you doing?” as DePape and Paul — who appears to be wearing a button-down shirt and underwear, are standing inside.
Police officers instructed DePape to “drop the hammer,” and both men can be seen with one hand on the hammer. DePape responds with, “Nope,” before he can be seen wrestling the hammer out of Paul’s hand and swinging toward him.
WATCH: Paul Pelosi Attack Footage
In a letter to Judge Dorfman, Paul wrote that “it took many months” after the attack to “reclaim” his home and “well-being”:
It took many months to reclaim my home and well-being. I still keep away from media and video of the attack for my own peace of mind. Even after testifying in federal and state criminal trials, I do not read the coveragae or willingly revisit the events. My family and friends were traumatized by the attack — and many political spouses with whom I have grown close during my wife’s service in Congress have been both sympathetic to me and scared for their own safety. To protect my healing, I still do not address the assault with my wife or anyone else. Nor do I discuss the trauma experienced by my wife who remains under 24-hour security two years later even though she is no longer serving as Speaker of the House. Even now, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats. We cannot fully remove the stain on the floor in the front entryway where I bled. As recently as this summer, we had to improve security measures at our home due to ongoing threats.
CNN reported that in the aftermath of the attack, Paul was left with a skull fracture and sustained other injuries to his arms. Paul underwent surgery for his skull fracture and other injuries, a spokesman for Nancy confirmed to the outlet.
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