By The man who broke into the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on state charges in California.
David DePape was also convicted on federal charges in May, leading to a 30-year prison sentence which will now be served concurrently. In the state trial, a San Francisco jury found DePape guilty of kidnapping, first-degree burglary and false imprisonment of an elder. The attack left Paul Pelosi, now 84, in the hospital for six days with a fractured skull and other injuries.
In a statement after the sentencing, the Pelosi family said that “legal justice has been served” and that the sentence sends a message “that political violence against elected officials or their family members will not be tolerated.”
Judge Harry Dorfman refused a defense request for a more lenient sentence, saying he did not feel sympathy for DePape and that it was his intention that the attacker “will never get out of prison, he can never be paroled.”
Video of the incident showed DePape, a Canadian citizen who has lived in the U.S. for two decades, breaking into the Pelosi home in California armed with a hammer on October 28, 2022. DePape admitted during his federal trial that he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, interrogate her on camera and “break her kneecaps” if she did not admit to what he claimed were her lies.
When police officers arrived, they found Paul Pelosi and DePape both gripping the hammer. Moments later, after being asked to drop the weapon, DePape abruptly struck Pelosi before being wrestled to the ground by officers.
In addition to a fractured skull, Pelosi suffered injuries to his arm and hand, having been struck three times during the attack. In a letter read by his daughter Christine, Pelosi said the incident left him with nerve damage and in fear of sleeping alone at home.
When given the chance to address the court, DePape spoke at length about conspiracy theories surrounding the 9/11 attacks, forced the judge to interrupt him several times. DePape’s lawyer had unsuccessfully argued that his client’s mental health issues and isolation made him vulnerable to propaganda.
