Pelosi Home Intruder Accused of Attempted Murder in California

Joel Rosenblatt
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- The intruder who allegedly beat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer at their San Francisco home last week was charged in California with attempted murder on top of federal crimes.

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The state charges against David DePape, 42, including residential burglary, false imprisonment of an elder and threatening a public official’s family member, were unveiled Monday in a criminal complaint by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins hours after the US Justice Department accused him of attempted kidnapping and assault. DePape faces decades in prison in both cases if convicted.

Paul Pelosi, 82, was recovering after surgery to repair a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands while struggling against an intruder at the Pelosi residence early on the morning of Oct. 28.

Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time, but federal authorities alleged she was the intended target and that DePape broke into her home in an affluent San Francisco neighborhood armed with zip ties, tape, rope and at least one hammer.

DePape allegedly told police he planned to take the speaker hostage and break her kneecaps if she didn’t tell “the truth.”

Nancy Pelosi, in a statement on Monday, said “Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”

She said that since the attack last Friday, “we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes. We are most grateful.”

Read More: Pelosi Home Intruder Faces US Assault, Kidnapping Charges

With US midterm elections less than two weeks away, the attack put lawmakers on edge and focused attention on the potential for violence in a politically polarized nation.

Echoing condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike, President Joe Biden on Saturday blamed political rhetoric -- including denial of the 2020 election result -- for the attack. Threats against members of Congress have been on the rise, and the House Speaker had been a particular target of vitriol.

Police have said they were dispatched to the speaker’s house for a “well-being check” in the early morning hours and found Paul Pelosi and an intruder struggling over a hammer. The man then struck Pelosi in the head and body before being subdued and arrested.

DePape, who authorities say has lived for the last two years in a residential garage in Richmond, California, has been linked to personal blogs that railed against the government and technology giants, and espoused far-right conspiracy theories.

--With assistance from Chris Strohm and Billy House.

(Updates with Nancy Pelosi statement, starting in paragraph.)

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