World News

David DePape, attacker of Paul Pelosi’s gavel, receives maximum sentence of 30 years in prison

David DePape, the man convicted of a brutal hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, at the couple’s California home, received a 30-year prison sentence on Friday. .

DePape was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years for one count and 20 for a second, to be served concurrently. DePape did not react when the judge read his sentence. Christine Pelosi, the couple’s daughter, read a victim impact statement in court.

Representative Pelosi is in Washington, DC and did not attend the sentencing. The Pelosi family issued a brief statement after the sentence was handed down.

“The Pelosi family could not be more proud of their father and his tremendous courage in saving his own life the night of the attack and in testifying in this case. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to everyone who has sent love and prayers for the past eighteen months, as Pelosi continues her recovery,” the statement read.

DOJ CALLS FOR 40-YEAR SENTENCE FOR PAUL PELOSI’S HAMMER ATTACKER DAVID DEPAPE UNDER ‘TERRORISM ENHANCEMENT’

(Left) Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the pre-GRAMMY gala. (Right) David DePape. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle)

DePape was convicted last year of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault of an immediate family member of a federal official. Prosecutors had asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley for a 40-year prison sentence.

In a written victim impact statement, Paul Pelosi said his life has “irrevocably changed” since the attack.

“My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair has grown back, but I have bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metal plate from the skull surgery,” Pelosi wrote. “The dizziness hasn’t gone away.”

He revealed that 13 months after the assault, in November 2023, he “felt vertigo and fell twice at home, which led to extensive medical evaluations including MRIs and nerve block injections in his neck.”

Pelosi said she still has daily headaches that can turn into migraines if left untreated, and that she cannot tolerate bright lights or loud noises for long periods. Additionally, the nerves in her left hand were “severely damaged.”

DAVID DEPAPE, SUSPECT OF PAUL PELOSI ATTACK, PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL TRIAL

Body camera footage shows two men fighting

Screenshot of body camera video following the alleged assault of Paul Pelosi by David De Pape in San Francisco on October 28, 2022. (San Francisco Police Department)

“My forehand was ‘ungloved,’ exposing raw nerves and blood vessels. The surgeries and treatments mostly healed the skin, but underneath I still feel compressed nerves in my left hand. This makes basic tasks like using buttons , cutlery and simple tools are more difficult,” he said.

Nancy Pelosi, in her victim impact statement, said the attack has devastated three generations of her family and that “the cries of ‘Where’s Nancy?’ “—echoing the threats of January 6—filled me with great fear and deep pain.”

“Therefore, it is necessary that the guilty party’s sentence be very long as punishment for the attack and injuries that Paul continues to suffer, and as a deterrent to others who consider violence against public officials,” Nancy Pelosi wrote.

DAVID DEPAPE CONSIDERED NANCY PELOSI ‘EVIL’, SAVED HER PERSONAL INFORMATION ON LAPTOP, PROSECUTION SAYS

Video of the attack on Paul Pelosi

David DePape, left, and Paul Pelosi appear in a body camera image. (San Francisco County Superior Court)

The attack on Paul Pelosi, then 82, was captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections.

DePape admitted during trial testimony that he broke into Pelosi’s home on October 28, 2022, with the intention of holding the then-president hostage and “break his kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up at his San Francisco home, saying his plan to end what he considered government corruption was falling apart.

Defense attorneys said DePape was motivated by his political beliefs and caught up in conspiracy theories.

Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the October 2022 incident.

A sketch of the courtroom shows the trial of David DePape.

A courtroom sketch shows the trial of David DePape in Federal Court in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. (Vicki Behringer)

From custody, DePape called the KTVU newsroom. In the call that also took place during the trial, she said he had “an important message for everyone in America: You’re welcome.”

Prosecutors said a medical examination at the hospital showed that Paul Pelosi “suffered two skull fractures that had to be repaired in emergency surgery, along with a wound to his arm and hand, which were also treated in surgery by surgeons.” specialized”.

DAVID DEPAPE CRYES IN THE STAND, APOLOGIZES TO PAUL PELOSI FOR THE HAMMER ATTACK

At trial, “a neurosurgeon who performed the surgeries testified that one of the skull fractures narrowly missed a vein that, if lacerated, would have caused life-threatening blood loss,” the motion said.

Paul Pelosi also testified at the trial and recounted how he was woken in the middle of the night by a large man who burst into his bedroom and asked, “Where’s Nancy?” Pelosi said that when he told the man that her wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that someone had broken into the house, and looking at it and looking at the hammer and the restraints, I recognized that I was in grave danger, so I tried to remain as calm as possible,” Pelosi said. To the members of the jury.

DePape also faces state charges of assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection for that trial is scheduled to begin May 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button