A California judge on Tuesday sentenced David DePape, the man who broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and attacked her husband with a hammer, to life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
DePape, 44, had previously been sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal crimes connected to the Oct. 28, 2022, attack in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.
A San Francisco jury in June found DePape guilty of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, threats against an elected official or their family and preventing or dissuading a witness by force or threat.
“It’s my intention that Mr. DePape will never get out of prison, he can never be paroled,” San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman said.
Defense lawyer Adam Lipson had pleaded for leniency, arguing that his client fell into a rabbit hole of conspiracies after leading a crime-free life.
“This is a man who has always been a peaceful, law-abiding person up until his activation,” Lipson said.
DePape took advantage of the opportunity to address the court to spout conspiracy theories and make statements such as, “I’m a psychic … The more I meditate, the more psychic I get.”
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said DePape is “now being held accountable” for acts that are a “danger to democracy.”
“Mr. DePape has been convicted of crimes both federally and locally reflecting the public’s unanimous condemnation,” Jenkins said in statement after Tuesday’s sentencing.
“Recognizing the seriousness of his crimes and the danger to democracy that Mr. DePape posed he is now being held accountable and will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.”
DePape had for years been repeating a host of far-right conspiracy theories such as questioning results of the 2020 election and believing that the federal government was controlled by devil-worshipping pedophiles, prosecutors said.
After DePape forced his way into the couple’s home two years ago, he demanded to know: “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?“
The vicious attack was caught on police body cameras as Paul Pelosi, 84, managed to call 911 during DePape’s break-in.
When officers arrived, they found DePape and the victim, both with their hands on a hammer. DePape refused police orders to let go of the hammer, before taking it away from Pelosi and hitting him in the head.
The Associated Press contributed.
