The first of two sentences which will likely put 43-year-old wingnut David DePape behind bars for the rest of his life was handed down Friday in federal court.
Delivering a sentence that was more than double what defense attorneys were seeking, but less than the maximum of 40 years, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley sentenced DePape to 30 years in a federal lock-up — a sentence that he may begin serving before he also potentially serves time in a state case.
As the Associated Press reports, DePape was sentenced to 20 years for the count of attempted kidnapping of a federal official, and 30 years for the count of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. He was ordered to serve the sentences concurrently, and given credit for the 18 months he has already been behind bars.
DePape was convicted on both counts by a federal jury in November.
Daughter Christine Pelosi read victim statements from her parents before the sentencing Friday.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who had asked that the judge deliver a “very long” sentence, said that the October 2022 attack “has had a devastating effect on three generations of our family.”
“Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and break-in are impossible to avoid. Our home remains a heartbreaking crime scene,” Nancy Pelosi wrote in her statement. She added that her husband continued to have dizziness and other after-effects of the traumatic brain injury he received from DePape’s blow to his head.
Paul Pelosi’s statement said that he, for months, feared sleeping alone in the house after the attack. And, as the Chronicle reports, he explained, “We cannot fully remove the stain on the floor in the front entryway where I bled.”
DePape already admitted to the hammer attack both to San Francisco police and in trial testimony in the federal trial. He confessed that he had come to the Pelosis’ home with the intention of confronting Nancy Pelosi about her “lies,” and said he would “break her kneecaps” if she continued to lie to him.
Mrs. Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the break-in, and when DePape was told this he apparently told Paul Pelosi that they would have to wait together for her return.
DePape also described his actions as a “suicide mission,” and said that he had a hit list of multiple targets that included Governor Gavin Newsom and, for some reason, actor Tom Hanks.
Jury selection is set to begin in DePape’s state trial on May 22. The San Francisco District Attorney has charged DePape with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, and other felonies.
Previously: Paul Pelosi Attacker David DePape to Be Sentenced In Federal Court as State Trial Finally Gets Underway
2024-05-17 19:34:08
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