Man serving 30 years for attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband gets a life term on state charges

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man who was sentenced to 30 years successful national situation for attacking nan hubby of erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pinch a hammer successful their California location was fixed a life word without nan anticipation of parole connected Tuesday pursuing a abstracted authorities trial.

A San Francisco assemblage successful June recovered David DePape blameworthy of charges including aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary and mendacious imprisonment of an elder.

Before sentencing DePape to life for nan kidnapping conviction, Judge Harry Dorfman rejected defense attorneys’ arguments that he beryllium granted a caller authorities proceedings for nan 2022 onslaught against Paul Pelosi, who was 82 years aged astatine nan time.

“It’s my volition that Mr. DePape will ne'er get retired of prison, he tin ne'er beryllium paroled,” Dorfman said while handing retired nan punishment. He later said, “I don’t consciousness sympathy for you. I consciousness sympathy for nan unfortunate successful this case, who’s fortunate to beryllium alive.”

Adam Lipson, a San Francisco lawman nationalist defender, had asked Dorfman to see DePape’s intelligence wellness and isolation that made him susceptible to online propaganda.

“This is simply a man who has ever been a peaceful, law-abiding personification up until his activation,” Lipson said earlier nan reward was handed down.

When fixed nan chance to reside nan tribunal anterior to his sentencing, DePape, dressed successful situation orangish and pinch his brownish hairsbreadth successful a ponytail, said astatine magnitude astir Sept. 11 being an wrong job, his ex-wife being replaced by a assemblage double, and his government-provided attorneys colluding against him.

“I’m a psychic,” DePape told nan court, reference from sheets of paper. “The much I meditate, nan much psychic I get.”

The judge interrupted DePape aggregate times to inquire if he wanted to reside nan jury’s verdict aliases his behaviour connected nan nighttime of nan attack, but DePape ignored nan offers.

In a missive publication successful tribunal by nan victim’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, Paul Pelosi called for nan maximum sentence, saying nan “last serene sleep” he had ended abruptly “when nan suspect violently collapsed into my home, burst into my chamber and stood complete my furniture pinch a hammer and zip ties demanding to spot my wife, yelling ‘Where’s Nancy?’”

He said nan onslaught near him pinch bumps connected his head, a metallic sheet successful it, dizziness and nervus harm successful his near hand. Sleeping unsocial astatine location evokes memories of nan attack, he said.

In a connection aft Tuesday’s sentencing, nan Pelosi family said that aft a grueling 2 years, “legal justness has been served.”

“Today’s condemnation of life without parole gives our Pop immoderate measurement of ineligible justness and, we hope, a connection to others that governmental unit against elected officials aliases their family members will not beryllium tolerated, minimized aliases condoned,” nan connection said. “We must each do our portion to build a serene democracy.”

Previously, a national assemblage convicted DePape of assaulting a national official’s family personnel and attempting to kidnap a national official. In May, he was sentenced to 30 years successful national prison.

Although DePape expressed remorse for his actions astatine nan national sentencing, he did not do that connected Tuesday. Judges successful some cases said they could not disregard nan seriousness of targeting elected officials.

Judge Dorfman connected Tuesday besides sentenced DePape to further years connected nan different counts, but each nan sentences, including nan national one, will tally concurrently. He said that if an appellate tribunal overturns his condemnation of life without parole, he will inquire that nan lawsuit beryllium sent backmost to his tribunal for resentencing.

Lipson told reporters aft nan proceeding that he will entreaty nan ruling. “This was a really tragic extremity to a tragic story,” he said.

The prosecutors, San Francisco adjunct territory attorneys Sean Connolly and Phoebe Maffei, said successful a connection that nan condemnation reflects nan seriousness of DePape’s behaviour and nan harm he inflicted connected an guiltless man.

“There is nary rejoicing successful specified cases. There are nary winners,” it said.

The defense based on that nan authorities proceedings amounted to double jeopardy, saying that though nan authorities and national counts weren’t precisely nan same, nan 2 cases stem from nan aforesaid act. The judge dismissed immoderate of nan authorities charges, but he kept others that weren’t covered by nan national case.

The Oct. 28, 2022, onslaught connected Paul Pelosi was captured connected constabulary assemblage camera video conscionable days earlier nan midterm elections and shocked nan governmental world. He suffered caput wounds, including a skull fracture that was mended pinch plates and screws.

DePape, a Canadian national who has been surviving successful nan U.S. for years, admitted during his national proceedings that he planned to clasp Nancy Pelosi hostage, grounds his interrogation of her, and “break her kneecaps” if she did not admit to nan lies he said she told astir “Russiagate,” a reference to nan investigation into Russian interference successful nan 2016 statesmanlike campaign.