A man who assaulted Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer and received a 30-year federal prison sentence was also found guilty of aggravated kidnapping by a state court on Friday, potentially leading to a lifetime in prison.
Last month, David DePape was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi by a federal judge.
A San Francisco jury convicted DePape of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment of an elder, threatening a family member of a public official, dissuading a witness to the charges, and aggravated kidnapping.
During closing arguments, DePape’s public defender, Adam Lipson, acknowledged his guilt in three charges but argued lack of evidence for the remaining charges added late in the trial. Lipson claimed that these charges were not proved by the prosecutors.
The state trial was seen as double jeopardy by Lipson, considering the federal conviction, but the charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon were dismissed by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman.
Lipson contended that DePape did not kidnap Paul Pelosi with the intention of obtaining valuable goods, which was crucial to the aggravated kidnapping charge.
Prosecutors argued that DePape wanted to create a video of Nancy Pelosi confessing to crimes he believed she had committed, which they considered valuable.
DePape’s attack on Paul Pelosi was caught on police camera just before the 2022 elections, causing shock in the political scene. Paul Pelosi suffered severe injuries, including a skull fracture that required surgery.
DePape admitted to planning to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and harm her during his federal trial testimony. Lipson attributed his actions to his immersion in propaganda and conspiracy theories.
DePape’s former partner was removed from the courtroom for attempting to influence the jury with conspiracy theories. The partner, Gypsy Taub, was accused of tampering with the jury during the trial.
DePape’s sentencing was overshadowed by his exposure to extreme beliefs by Taub, according to his federal public defender, who emphasized the negative impact of their relationship on DePape.
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