© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi, who’s carrying a hat and glove following an assault by accused David Wayne DePape in his residence in November, attend the Kennedy Heart honorees gala in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 20
(Corrects Nov. 16 story to point out assertion was issued by Nancy Pelosi’s spokesperson, not Pelosi herself, paragraph 6)
By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) -A federal jury on Thursday convicted a right-wing conspiracy theorist of a hammer assault on the husband of former U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors stated.
David Wayne DePape, 43, broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco residence and struck Paul Pelosi over the top with a hammer within the early morning hours of Oct. 28, 2022, whereas Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, was nonetheless speaker and away in Washington.
The San Francisco jury, which had deliberated since noon Wednesday, discovered him responsible of tried kidnapping and assault of a direct member of the family of a federal official, a spokesperson for the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace stated.
The crimes carry potential jail sentences of 20 years and 30 years, respectively, underneath federal sentencing tips.
DePape additionally faces additional fees together with tried homicide in California state court docket that carry a possible sentence of 13 years to life in jail.
Nancy Pelosi’s spokesperson issued an announcement on behalf of her household thanking folks for his or her help and saying Paul Pelosi continues to make progress on his restoration, however withheld touch upon authorized issues as a result of the state case was nonetheless pending.
“The Pelosi family is very proud of their Pop, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago and in the courtroom this week,” the assertion stated.
Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious and hospitalized for a number of days, present process surgical procedure for cranium fractures. He additionally sustained accidents to his fingers and proper arm.
Testifying for the prosecution, Pelosi stated he has tried to not relive the episode, together with by avoiding the video clip of him being attacked, however that he did bear in mind waking up on his ground in a “pool of blood.”
Protection legal professional Jodi Linker argued through the trial that DePape didn’t commit a federal crime as a result of he was not pushed by Pelosi’s official duties as speaker. As an alternative, she argued, DePape’s agency perception in wide-ranging however misguided conspiracy theories motivated him to convey down the rich and highly effective ruling class.
Linker let lots of the info of the case go uncontested because the hammer strike was recorded by police physique cameras and DePape admitted to his actions whereas testifying in his personal protection.
Proof confirmed DePape was pushed by right-wing conspiracy theories, embracing the fictions unfold by QAnon, questioning the Holocaust, and feeding off political accusations towards Hunter Biden, the president’s son, and George Soros, the billionaire Holocaust survivor.
After video of the assault was made public, right-wing media continued to advertise unfounded claims in regards to the assault, imagining some gay relationship between the 2 males as a result of Pelosi was in sleepwear shorts.
DePape informed the jury he wished to kidnap Nancy Pelosi, interrogate her, and break her kneecaps if he discovered her to be mendacity. However after breaking into the house he as an alternative discovered her husband, then age 82, asleep in his mattress. DePape stated the assault was a response to his authentic plan going awry.
“He was never my target and I’m sorry that he got hurt,” DePape stated.
Police recovered zip ties within the bed room and within the hallway close to the entrance door, plus a roll of tape, rope, a second hammer, a pair of gloves and a journal in DePape’s backpack, in keeping with court docket information.