A jury found on Thursday that the man who broke into the former U.S. Federal charges were filed against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home last year for allegedly attempting to hold her hostage and hitting her husband with a hammer.
After deliberating for around eight hours, the jury found David DePape guilty of assaulting a federal official's close relative and attempting to kidnap a federal official. As the verdict was read, DePape, who could spend up to 50 years in prison, remained silent.
A few days before the midterm elections, Paul Pelosi, then 82, was attacked. The incident was caught on police body camera footage and shocked the political community.
In trial testimony, DePape, 43, acknowledged breaking into the Pelosis' house on October 28, 2022, with the intention of holding Nancy Pelosi hostage and threatening to "break her kneecaps" if she told lies. In addition, he acknowledged using a hammer to forcefully subdue Paul Pelosi when San Francisco police arrived at the residence, claiming that his intention to put a stop to what he perceived as official corruption was falling apart.
Defense lawyers contended that DePape's motivation was his political convictions rather than a desire to obstruct Nancy Pelosi from carrying out her official responsibilities as a member of Congress, rendering the accusations against him baseless. During Wednesday's final remarks, one of his attorneys, Angela Chuang, informed the jury that DePape was entangled in conspiracy theories.
U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey told reporters during a press conference held outside the federal courthouse where the verdict was read: "People can believe what they want and engage in passionate debate." However, the guilty decision on all counts makes it very evident that you cannot physically assault a member of Congress or their family for carrying out their official duties, regardless of your personal opinions.
Defense lawyers remained silent regarding the decision.
The date of sentencing is still pending. We have a status hearing set on December 13.
DePape, a Canadian national who immigrated to the United States over 20 years ago, is additionally accused in state court of elder abuse, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and other offenses.
In his testimony, DePape repeated conspiracy ideas held by right-wingers and informed the jury that he intended to record his questioning of Nancy Pelosi while wearing an inflatable unicorn costume and post it online. He carried zip ties and rope, according to the prosecution. A tablet, a PC, and body cameras were also discovered by investigators.
According to DePape's testimony, his goal was to persuade Nancy Pelosi to acknowledge that she had been deceiving the American people. He threatened to shatter her kneecaps if she lied. "She has the choice."
Actor Tom Hanks, President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a professor of women's and LGBTQ studies who testified during the trial, and other targets were among those he stated he would move on to.
Recounting how he called 911 while DePape was watching, Pelosi was advised to inform the police that he was a friend by DePape. Pelosi claimed he made an effort to alert the authorities to the situation without upsetting DePape.
When the police came, Pelosi remembered being grateful, but DePape struck him with the hammer. He claimed to have woken up in his own blood.
He still hasn't fully recovered from the attack, according to Pelosi, more than a year later. Pelosi had two head injuries, including a fracture that required surgery and is permanent due to plates and screws, according to a neurosurgeon who performed the procedure.
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