A man who broke into the San Francisco home of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband and attacked her with a hammer was convicted by a jury on Friday of all charges in a state case.
David DePape has already been convicted of federal crimes in the Oct. 28, 2022, break-in and assault of House Speaker Paul Pelosi and is serving a 30-year prison sentence in that case.
“We are all incredibly grateful for Ms. Pelosi’s physical recovery and hope this verdict gives them some peace of mind as they move forward,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said after the guilty verdict was handed down Friday afternoon.
Jenkins said the jury found DePape guilty of kidnapping, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, threatening a public official or his family member and tampering with or dissuading a witness by use of violence or intimidation.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time of the intrusion but was not injured.
Representative Paul Pelosi testified at his federal trial that on the day of the break-in, he was woken by a “very large man” armed with a hammer and zip ties and asked, “Where’s Nancy?”
While DePape was not looking, Paul Pelosi called 911 to notify the police. When officers arrived, DePape and Pelosi had their hands on the hammer DePape was swinging. The officer ordered the hammer to be dropped, and DePape struck Pelosi over the head.
Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, suffered a fractured skull.
A conviction on the aggravated kidnapping charge means DePape could face a longer prison sentence than he received under federal law.
Jenkins said if the charge involves serious injury it carries a sentence of life in prison without parole.
In his closing arguments at the state trial, San Francisco public defender Adam Lipson told jurors that DePape had lived a solitary life before the break-in and attack and had “fell into a labyrinth of propaganda and conspiracy theories,” the Associated Press reported.
At the state trial, Judge Lipson told the jury that while DePape was guilty of three counts, the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to convict him of threatening the family of a public servant and kidnapping.
DePape was convicted in federal court in November of assault and attempted kidnapping and was sentenced in May.
Jenkins said her office has not determined a sentencing recommendation but will consult with Pelosi’s family and submit a sentencing recommendation in the future.
A date for sentencing has not yet been set.
