Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle/AP/File
David DePape performs in Berkeley, California on December 13, 2013.
CNN
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A jury has found David DePape guilty of two counts of violently assaulting Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, last year at the couple’s San Francisco home.
DePape was convicted in federal court of one count of assault on a family member of a federal official, with the jury determining that he used a dangerous weapon, and a second count of attempted kidnapping of a federal official. He could face a maximum sentence of 30 years and 20 years on the charges, respectively.
In court Thursday, DePape had no visible reaction to the verdict. The sentencing followed DePape’s high-profile testimony in his own defense and that of Pelosi, who recounted publicly for the first time the night he was hammered and the difficult recovery that followed.
The terrifying October 2022 attack sent shockwaves through Washington at a time of rising threats against public officials, sparking renewed concern about violence driven by increasingly hostile political rhetoric and partisan animosity. Lawmakers in Congress then considered their own security as fears of political violence remained elevated following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and targeting other incidents members of Congress in recent years. The then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, after all caused the attack in her decision to resign from its leadership position.
In a statement released after the verdict, Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman said the California lawmaker and her family were “grateful for the outpouring of prayers,” adding that Paul Pelosi showed “extraordinary composure and courage” in that courtroom. the week.
However, “given the ongoing litigation,” the Pelosi family will not comment further, spokesman Aaron Bennett said.
Prosecutors claimed that DePape broke into the Pelosi home with “a violent plan to kidnap Nancy Pelosi” and “hold her hostage.”
DePape’s attorney, Jodi Linker, admitted on the first day of the trial that her client was the one who attacked 83-year-old Paul Pelosi, but argued that his motive for the attack did not match the charges against him. “This case here is about why — why matters. This case is about whether David acted because of, because of Nancy Pelosi’s duties as a member of Congress. He didn’t,” Linker had argued to the jury. “And he only hit Paul Pelosi in a quick moment of desperation because the police arrived and his bigger plan was thwarted.”
In filing a defense Tuesday, DePape gave jurors a closer look on his motivations before the attack, while at times becoming emotional as he shared examples of conspiracy theories he felt were true.
DePape recalled that he was focused on Nancy Pelosi and that her husband, Paul, was not on his list of targets. He was “surprised and confused,” he testified, when he discovered the congresswoman was not home.
“I tell him, I have other goals, but if you stop me, I’m going to pass you,” DePape said, recounting a conversation with Paul Pelosi, adding that he then retaliated and hit him “on the head.” because his plan was “basically ruined.”
In his testimony, Pelosi recounted how he awoke from sleep the night of the attack to find a man with a hammer in his home. That man, later identified by police as DePape, asked where his wife was, he said. “He’s not here. He’s in Washington,” Pelosi recalled responding.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images
Paul Pelosi in December 2022 at the US Capitol, two months after the attack.
He later recovered in a pool of blood after being violently struck in the head following a struggle with DePape, Pelosi said.
Pelosi, who underwent surgery to repair a fractured skull and injuries to his arm and hand, told jurors that his recovery has been difficult, with dizziness and headaches. “I tried my best not to revisit it,” he said.
The trial, which began last week, also included testimony from San Francisco police officers, FBI agents and the United States Capitol Police.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to state charges including attempted murder, burglary and assault, with a trial date expected to be set later this month.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said after the verdict that her team “will speak with federal prosecutors and the victim in this case as we determine what our next steps are in the state case.”
“Sir. DePape is facing a different set of charges in our case, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and false imprisonment. We are confident in our case and ready to proceed to trial,” Jenkins said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Jack Forrest contributed to this report.