Paul Pelosi takes the stand in trial against man charged in 2022 home invasion, attack

Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic Rep. and previous House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, took the stand Monday in the trial against the man accused of breaking into the couple’s home final yr and hanging him in the head with a hammer.

Pelosi, 83, suffered a cranium fracture when the suspect, David DePape, attacked him once they struggled over the hammer when police arrived all the way through the Oct. 28, 2022, incident at Pelosi’s California home.

DePape, 43, used to be arrested and charged with tried kidnapping of a federal reliable and attack on the rapid circle of relatives member of a federal reliable with intent to retaliate against the reliable for efficiency in their tasks. He has pleaded now not to blame.

Pelosi got here and confronted his alleged attacker in court docket and supplied transparent information about the incident.

He mentioned he used to be on my own in the home whilst Rep. Pelosi used to be in Washington when DePape burst via his bed room door conserving a hammer in one hand and a few ties in the different, again and again asking, “Where’s Nancy?”

“I recognized I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Pelosi testified.

After Pelosi testified that his spouse wasn’t in the home, he mentioned DePape replied, “Well, then we’re going to have to wait for her. I’m going to have to tie you up and we’ll wait for her.”

Pelosi mentioned that he attempted to go away the room and head to an elevator that ended in the flooring ground, however used to be blocked through the defendant and in the long run were given to his rest room, the place he known as 911. DePape adopted him into the rest room, consistent with Pelosi.

“He told me he was going to take me out. I had to try to convey to the 911 person I was in trouble,” he testified. “I thought I had a very difficult time trying to let them know.”

DePape took the telephone, Pelosi testified. Pelosi mentioned he and the defendant made their approach right down to the first ground.

“I’m thinking, ‘I hope the police come,’ but what I knew was my only shot was going to be if we were downstairs and the police came, it would be so much easier to arrest him,” Pelosi testified. “God knows what he would have done if we were still on the third floor.”

When they reached the flooring ground, Pelosi mentioned he noticed the damaged entryway and DePape’s backpacks.

A twinkling of an eye later, officials confirmed up at the entrance door. DePape and Pelosi fought over the hammer whilst officials attempted to get the defendant to stand down, and Pelosi used to be struck.

Pelosi mentioned he does not take into account a large number of the main points after the attack, which used to be captured on a police physique digicam, however did take into account the “pool of blood.”

“I know that I was put in an ambulance and taken to the hospital. I knew there was some kind of conversation with the medics,” Pelosi mentioned.

He used to be hospitalized for 6 days and returned home to get well.

Pelosi mentioned the medical doctors urged him to not watch any protection of the investigation.

“I’ve tried putting it out of my mind,” he mentioned. “I made the best effort possible to not relive it.”

When requested about his restoration, Pelosi mentioned he needed to discover ways to stroll and be cellular once more. He mentioned he nonetheless will get a bit of lightheaded and has some complications however now not up to straight away after the attack.

The protection didn’t have questions for Pelosi.

The pass judgement on mentioned he goals to give the case to the jury through Wednesday.