David DePape, the man charged with breaking into the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and using a hammer to attack her husband, Paul Pelosi, disclosed that the former Speaker was always his target.
Taking the stand in his defense, DePape, the right-wing conspiracy theorist who was found guilty on November 16 of attempted kidnapping and assault following a dramatic trial, did not respond well when the guilty verdict was announced in court; and although sentencing is not finalized yet, he faces the prospect of up to 50 years behind bars, reported The Guardian .
Trump’s stolen election lies and other right wing conspiracies radicalized David DePape, the man who smashed 82-year-old Paul Pelosi’s skull with a hammer. Trump thinks that’s funny. And his supporters go wild with cheers and applause. MAGA thrives on cruelty and violence. pic.twitter.com/y1jw1RpaG5
— Critter (@asclepiasyriaca) November 16, 2023
When DePape heard testimony from Paul and his doctors, he felt apologetic but defended his decision anyway, per USA TODAY . “He was never my target, and I’m sorry that he got hurt,” DePape said. “I reacted because my plan was ruined.”
The prosecution explained during DePape’s trial that on October 28, 2022, he broke in through a door at the rear of the Pelosis’ San Francisco house at approximately two in the morning, stood over a sleeping Paul, and asked him, “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” as was holding a hammer and zip ties. Nancy was at a work engagement in Washington at the time.
Paul managed to call the police, but DePape ended up assaulting him violently with the hammer in front of the police. In his testimony during the trial, DePape acknowledged that he broke into the Pelosis’ home to hold the former speaker of the House hostage. He also admitted to beating Paul with a hammer when police arrived at the residence. Paul, as a result, sustained two head injuries that required surgery, including a fracture to his skull that required lifelong plates and screws to heal. Pelosi also required stitches for wounds on his hand and right arm.
DePape wanted to attack the former speaker because he believed many conspiracy theories about her. DePape acknowledged that he went to Pelosi’s residence with the intent to hold the former speaker hostage and ask her about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He wanted to pressure her to acknowledge their alleged misconduct. “If she lied, I would break her kneecaps,” he said. “The choice is on her.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – A federal jury in San Francisco convicted right-wing conspiracy theorist David Wayne DePape of a hammer attack on the husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi https://t.co/b0hKQ87BFL pic.twitter.com/c5ZgR9Ze4S
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 17, 2023
In court, DePape sobbed while discussing his political views, stating he planned to confront Nancy Pelosi about the 2016 election while dressed as an inflatable unicorn. DePape pushed many conspiracy theories in his testimony, such as the QAnon conspiracy, Donald Trump’s “truth,” misinformation about the January 6 Capitol riots, as well as a supposed Russian influence in US elections, something he does on social media too, according to the prosecution.
US attorney Ismail Ramsey said in a statement outside the courthouse, “People can believe what they want and engage in passionate debate. But this guilty verdict on all counts sends a clear message that regardless of what your beliefs are, what you cannot do is physically attack a member of Congress or their immediate family for the performance of their job.”
