A man who forcibly entered the residence of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulted her husband with a hammer has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance of parole on state charges in California. David DePape was previously convicted of federal charges in May, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence that will run concurrently with the state sentence.

During the state trial, a jury in San Francisco found DePape guilty of kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and false imprisonment of an elder. The violent incident left Paul Pelosi, aged 84, hospitalized for six days due to a fractured skull and other serious injuries. Following the sentencing, the Pelosi family issued a statement declaring that “legal justice has been served.”

They expressed that “Since the violent break-in and shouts of ‘where’s Nancy?’ two years ago, not a day goes by that we do not think of this devastating assault, its trauma — or the possibility of future attacks.” The family hopes that the sentence will convey a message “that political violence against elected officials or their family members will not be tolerated.”

DePape’s attorney announced plans to appeal the ruling made on Tuesday. “This was a really tragic end to a tragic story,” attorney Adam Lipson told reporters following the hearing. Mr. Lipson had previously urged the judge for a more lenient sentence, claiming that DePape’s mental health issues and feelings of isolation contributed to his susceptibility to propaganda.

Judge Harry Dorfman rejected this plea, stating he felt no sympathy for DePape. “I feel sympathy for the victim in this case, who’s lucky to be alive,” Judge Dorfman remarked while delivering the sentence. “It’s my intention that Mr DePape will never get out of prison, he can never be paroled.”

During the earlier trial, video evidence showed DePape, a Canadian national residing in the U.S. for twenty years, breaking into the Pelosi residence in California, armed with a hammer, on October 28, 2022. DePape inquired about Mrs. Pelosi, who was not present, when he confronted her husband inside their home.

When law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call, they discovered Mr. Pelosi and DePape both holding onto the hammer. Shortly after, when instructed to drop the weapon, DePape suddenly attacked Mr. Pelosi before being subdued by the officers. The confrontation was recorded on body cameras worn by the responding officers.

In addition to suffering a fractured skull, Mr. Pelosi incurred injuries to his arm and hand, having been struck three times during the assault. The attacker admitted in his federal trial that he intended to take Mrs. Pelosi hostage, film an interrogation, and “break her kneecaps” if she failed to confess to what he claimed were her lies.

Mrs. Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, shared a letter penned by her father, in which he expressed that the attack resulted in nerve damage and left him anxious about sleeping alone at home. When given the opportunity to speak in court during the state trial, DePape extensively discussed conspiracy theories related to the September 11, 2001 attacks, as reported by the Associated Press, whose journalists were present in the courtroom.

DePape further claimed that his court-appointed lawyers were conspiring against him, leading the judge to interrupt him multiple times, according to the AP report.

{Matzav.com}