Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
David DePape of Berkeley, California, on Friday, December 13, 2013. On October 28, 2022, DePape attacked Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer.
CNN
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David DePape, who was convicted in federal court of violently attacking the husband of Honorable Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Paul, has been convicted in state court of five counts.
A California jury convicted DePape of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, endangering a family member of a public servant, aggravated kidnapping and witness tampering or obstruction of a witness by violence or intimidation. DePape was already facing a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted last year in connection with the October 2022 attack.
In court on Friday, Depape showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read, after which his lawyer said he planned to appeal.
Before the trial, Judge Harry M. Dorfman dismissed three charges against DePape — attempted murder, assault on an elderly person and assault with a deadly weapon — after DePape’s lawyers argued they amounted to double jeopardy. DePape had been convicted in federal court last November of assaulting a family member of a federal officer and attempting to kidnap a federal officer in connection with the attack.
Defense lawyer Adam Lipson said DePape was disappointed with Friday’s verdict, which came after jurors deliberated for nearly 12 hours over three days.
“He’s been caught up in conspiracy theories and has lived a very isolated and lonely life,” Lipson said. “And, you know, he has a mental illness that he’s currently struggling with.”
“It’s really unfortunate that he was charged in this way. It’s a classic retaliatory prosecution,” Lipson said.
CNN has reached out to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for comment on Lipson’s remarks.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement Friday that the sentence “delivers justice and ensures that Mr. DePape faces consequences for his heinous crimes against the Pelosi family and our democracy.”
Aaron Bennett, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement Friday that the family “appreciates the continued thoughts and prayers,” adding that “Speaker Pelosi and the family will refrain from making any further substantive comment until a verdict has been reached.”
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Federal prosecutors alleged last year that DePape entered Pelosi’s home with “a violent plan to kidnap and hold Nancy Pelosi hostage.” At the time, DePape’s lawyers acknowledged that DePape had attacked Paul Pelosi but argued the motive for the attack was inconsistent with the federal charges.
Testifying in his own defense at the trial, DePape told jurors he was looking for Nancy Pelosi but her husband was not on his target list, and said he was “surprised and confused” when he learned the senator was not at home.
“I told him, ‘I have other targets, but if you can stop me, I’m going to take you down,'” DePape said, recounting his conversation with Paul Pelosi.
“I reacted. I hit him over the head,” he continued. “My plans were basically ruined, so I reacted.”
The Morning Before the Jury In state lawsuits As deliberations began, DePape’s ex-wife, Gypsy Taub, was escorted out of the courtroom after the judge said Taub had attempted to tamper with the jury, and she was ordered to leave the courtroom and the second floor of the courthouse for the remainder of the trial.
According to the Associated Press, graffiti for a website promoted by Taub that promotes conspiracy theories was found in a women’s restroom near the courtroom on Tuesday. CNN saw Taub handing out papers outside the courtroom on Monday with addresses for websites also promoting conspiracy theories. A spokesman for the San Francisco County Superior Court said the department could not comment on pending cases.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.
