David DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for assaulting Paul Pelosi, the husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Last year, he was convicted of breaking into their San Francisco home and attacking Pelosi with a hammer.
During the assault in October 2022, Nancy Pelosi, who was then second in line to the presidency, was frequently the subject of extreme far-right conspiracy theories. DePape, originally a Canadian nudist activist who occasionally worked as a carpenter, had planned to target Nancy Pelosi, intending to force her to confess to her party’s alleged deceits.
Equipped with rope, gloves, and duct tape, DePape intended to confront Nancy but instead met her 82-year-old husband. He repeatedly asked, “Where’s Nancy?” During their interaction, which DePape described as “amicable,” Paul Pelosi managed to summon law enforcement.
However, the situation escalated quickly. Captured on police bodycam, DePape struck Pelosi with the hammer just as officers intervened, seizing the weapon. Paul Pelosi was rendered unconscious and suffered a skull fracture, requiring nearly a week of hospitalization and surgery.
Nancy Pelosi was not present during the incident. Ahead of the sentencing, she urged the judge to impose a “very long” sentence, highlighting the attack’s lasting impact on their family. She described their home as a “heartbreaking crime scene,” still marred by signs of the violent break-in.
DePape pleaded not guilty, challenging the assertion that he targeted Nancy Pelosi because of her federal role, a central element of the prosecution’s case. His defence argued that several conspiracy theories influenced him, including QAnon and false election fraud claims.
The trial revealed that DePape’s delusions extended beyond Nancy Pelosi. He had compiled a list of other high-profile liberal figures he viewed as corrupt, planning further attacks.
Despite his defence, jurors swiftly dismissed DePape’s justification for the attack just before the US midterm elections. The incident was heavily politicized, with some political figures offering controversial and unfounded narratives about the circumstances.
