Man guilty of hammering lawmaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband sorry: ‘He was never my target’
A jury has convicted David DePape for breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and assaulting her husband.
The guilty verdict comes just over a year after a man broke into the politician’s home in San Francisco and attacked Paul Pelosi, 82, with a hammer.
DePape, 43, was arrested at the scene by San Francisco police officers, whose body-worn cameras captured footage of the man assaulting the congresswoman’s husband.
After his arrest, DePape confessed to police officers that he planned to kidnap Rep Pelosi and interrogate her.
‘If she lied, I would break her kneecaps,’ DePape told investigators.
But Pelosi was in Washington when he arrived at the congresswoman’s home. Instead, he found her 82-year-old husband.
DePape tied Paul Pelosi up and said he planned to hold her hostage until she came home.
‘I recognized that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,’ he told the court.
On the witness stand, DePape again admitted to breaking into Pelosi’s home and attacking the man, but said his target was the then-Speaker of the House.
‘He was never my target and I’m sorry that he got hurt,’ DePape told the court.
When asked why he hit Pelosi after police arrived, DePape said ‘I reacted because my plan was basically ruined.’
DePape was convicted on Thursday of attempted kidnapping and assault of a federal official after a week-long trial. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.
‘The Pelosi family is very proud of their Pop, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago and in the courtroom this week,’ Rep Nancy Pelosi’s office said in a statement. ‘Thankfully, Mr Pelosi continues to make progress in his recovery.’
The congresswoman and her family declined to comment further due to DePape’s ongoing state trial for attempted murder.
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