The man accused of brutally attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appeared in state court on Tuesday to face charges of attempted murder, among others.
State prosecutors also charged David DePape, 42, with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, false imprisonment and threatening a public official for Friday’s attack on Paul Pelosi. DePape pleaded not guilty.
DePape was formally arraigned on Tuesday afternoon in San Francisco and faces 13 years to life in prison on the charges. DePape is set to appear in court again on Nov. 4 for his bail hearing.
During the 15-minute hearing, DePape, who will continue to be held in the county jail, was wearing an orange jumpsuit and his arm was in a sling. His public defender, Adam Lipson, told reporters afterward that DePape’s shoulder was dislocated when he was arrested by police Friday. His attorney said he plans to investigate DePape’s “vulnerability to misinformation” as part of the defense.
DePape is also facing two federal charges for the assault: attempted kidnapping, and assault with intent to retaliate against a federal official by threatening or injuring a family member. Those charges, announced by the Department of Justice on Monday, carry a maximum of 50 years in prison.
DePape specifically targeted the Pelosis’ home to confront the House speaker, not realizing she was in Washington, D.C., at the time, Jenkins alleged. Based on DePape’s alleged statements and comments made in the house during the encounter with Paul Pelosi, the attack appeared to be “politically motivated,” Jenkins said.
Investigators allege DePape attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police arrived at the home early Friday morning. Pelosi, 82, underwent surgery Friday to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.
The complaint filed by federal prosecutors alleges DePape sought to kidnap the House speaker when he broke into the San Francisco residence. Police said they recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway near the front door of the home. In DePape’s backpack, they also found “a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal,” they said.
DePape allegedly told police in an interview on the day of the attack that he was “going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her.”
“If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps,’” investigators alleged in the federal complaint.
The suspect also allegedly told investigators that “by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other members of Congress there were consequences to actions.”
Pelosi said in a statement Monday night that her husband was “making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”
Miguel Almaguer contributed.
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