David DePape, the man who attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband with a hammer in October 2022, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday.
The attack on Paul Pelosi occurred in the Pelosis’ San Francisco home on Oct. 28, 2022, just days before the midterm elections.
DePape was found guilty on Nov. 16 for the attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Prosecutors had pushed for DePape to serve the maximum term of 40 years.
Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull and severe damage to his left hand. To this day, he deals with terrible headaches, struggles with balance, and pinched nerves in his left hand, according to a letter he detailed to the court ahead of sentencing.
“The Pelosi family couldn’t be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case,” Aaron Bennett, spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement. “Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery.”
Leading up to the attack, DePape testified that he spent six hours a day watching political commentary and conspiracy theories. He believed the former speaker was a member of a Satan-worshiping cult that ran a global pedophile sex ring, and he broke into the home to force her to confess to her involvement on camera. He told investigators he intended to break her kneecaps if she didn’t answer his questions truthfully. At the time of the attack, the former speaker was in Washington, D.C.
Though DePape apologized to Paul Pelosi for the attack, he continued to make statements that he would pursue attacks on other targets.
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“It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Paul Pelosi told jurors.
Paul Pelosi was able to raise the alarm, summoning the police. Upon arriving, authorities had found both DePape and Paul Pelosi with their hands on the hammer, according to police body footage. DePape was ordered to drop the hammer, but he instead began to attack Paul Pelosi, prompting officers to tackle and arrest him.
