David DePape, already serving a 30-year federal sentence for the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was sentenced Tuesday in a separate state trial to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This sentence follows his conviction on charges including aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and false imprisonment.
San Francisco Judge Harry Dorfman rejected requests from DePape’s defense team for a new trial, emphasizing, "It’s my intention that Mr. DePape will never get out of prison."
Defense attorney Adam Lipson argued that DePape's isolation and mental health vulnerabilities left him susceptible to online propaganda. DePape, appearing in court in prison attire, spoke about various conspiracy theories, reiterating beliefs that his ex-wife was replaced by a body double and claiming government-appointed lawyers conspired against him.
A letter from Paul Pelosi, read by his daughter Christine Pelosi, urged the court to impose the maximum sentence. Paul Pelosi recounted the terrifying night when DePape broke into his bedroom, demanding to see Nancy Pelosi and wielding a hammer and zip ties. The attack left Pelosi, then 82, with a fractured skull, chronic dizziness, and nerve damage in his left hand. He described how the trauma still haunts him.
The state sentence will run concurrently with DePape’s federal sentence. DePape's lawyers argued this amounted to double jeopardy, but the judge dismissed this claim, keeping charges distinct from those in the federal trial.
The October 28, 2022 attack, occurring just before the midterm elections, shocked the nation. During his federal trial, DePape, a Canadian who has lived in the U.S. for years, admitted to planning to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and harm her if she did not "confess" to lies he claimed she spread about the “Russiagate” investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment