Suspected attacker of Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi pleads not guilty in US Court
A man, 42-year-old David DePape, accused of attacking US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer has pleaded not guilty.
A man accused of attacking US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer has pleaded not guilty. The attacker, David DePape, made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old suspect has been charged with elder abuse, burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon, and threatening a public official and was arraigned in San Francisco, The Guardian reported. As DePape appeared with his arm in a sling, his public attorney said that he dislocated his shoulder.
Furthermore, a preliminary hearing has been set for this Friday, and he has been ordered imprisoned without bail. On Wednesday, DePape is anticipated to be arraigned on the federal allegations brought against him.
David DePape allegedly broke into the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives’ house early on Friday, October 28 and then assaulted 82-year-old Paul Pelosi. According to court documents, he intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and smash “her kneecaps” if she “lied” to him. However, during the attack, Pelosi was not present in her home.
According to the BBC report, at the hearing on Tuesday, Judge Diane Northway of the Superior Court in San Francisco refused to grant DePape bail.
It is pertinent to mention that Paul Pelosi is still in the hospital and receiving treatment. According to Nancy Pelosi, her husband is “making steady progress” during a prolonged recuperation process.
It was ‘not a random act’: Authorities on Paul Pelosi’s attack
In addition to this, the state of California has filed charges against DePape, but he now faces federal allegations of violence and attempting to abduct Nancy Pelosi. According to the state charges, the suspect may receive 13 years to life in prison and up to 50 years under federal charges.
Although the reason is being looked into, authorities have stated that it was “not a random act.” According to the justice department, the accused was in possession of a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, and zip ties when he was taken into custody. As per media reports, the attacker was looking for the senior US politician when he went inside the building and shouted “where is Nancy?” repeatedly.
Apart from this, according to a court document filed on Tuesday, DePape, who is being imprisoned without bail, informed the police immediately after the assault that he was on a “suicide mission” and had plans to strike more politicians and their families, The Guardian reported.
According to the Tuesday filing, DePape complained to police and emergency personnel at the site that he was tired of the “lies coming out of Washington DC.” As per The Guardian report, he said, “I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I’m not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life.” He reportedly stated that he also had a local professor, a number of well-known state and federal legislators, and members of their families as targets.
As per media reports, DePape is a nudist activist in the Bay Area who complained about the “ruling class” and promoted illogical conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, the media, and the pandemic on his blog. According to him, Nancy Pelosi represents the Democratic party’s “lies” and breaking her knee would demonstrate to “other members of Congress” that there are repercussions for acts.
