Paul Pelosi’s hammer attack suspect denies attempted kidnapping and assault charges | US News


A man accused of assaulting the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against him.

David DePape is charged with attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assaulting a close relative of a federal official.

The allegations stem from a raid on Nancy and Paul Pelosi’s San Francisco home on Oct. 28, just days before the midterm elections. Mr Pelosi, 82, needed surgery to heal a fractured skull.

DePape, 42, of Richmond, a suburb of San Francisco, separately pleaded not guilty to state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse.

Federal charges include assaulting a close relative of a U.S. official with the intent of retaliating against the official for performing official duties.

This carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

Another allegation alleges that Mr. DePape attempted to kidnap a US official “in connection with the performance of official duties”. That allegation alleges that Mr. DePape intended to kidnap Mrs. Pelosi – And could result in a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Appearing in orange suits without handcuffs, Mr. DePape, a fringe activist attracted to conspiracy theories, was assigned to a public defense attorney who filed the statement on his behalf during the brief court appearance in San Francisco.

Detectives work outside the home of Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in San Francisco on Friday, October 28, 2022. Paul Pelosi, was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their home in San Francisco early Friday, according to people familiar with the investigation.  (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Image:
Detectives work out of the couple’s San Francisco home following the attack

Officers who responded to Mr. Pelosi’s 911 call found him and Mr. DePape arguing over a hammer, the indictment claims.

An officer ordered Mr. DePape to drop the hammer, but he replied, “ummm no,” before throwing it hard at Mr. Pelosi, he says.

The sequence lasted about 15 seconds, it continues, but left Mr. Pelosi and Mr. DePape lying on the floor with blood swelling around Mr. Pelosi’s head.

When he called 911, Mr. Pelosi told the dispatcher he was asleep, when a man he had never seen before entered his bedroom looking for his wife, who was in Washington, DC at the time.

Officers later found a broken glass door to the back porch. They recovered zip ties, a roll of duct tape, a white rope, a second hammer and a pair of rubber and cloth gloves.

The attack on Mr. Pelosi came as threats against US politicians and election officials were at an all-time high and authorities issued warnings of rising extremism.

Mr. DePape is being held without bail in state custody.

malek

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GreenLeaf Tw2sl