The man charged in last year’s attack against Nancy Pelosi’s husband goes to trial in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – The man accused of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco house, bludgeoning her husband with a hammer and in quest of to kidnap her goes on trial Thursday.

Opening statements are scheduled in the federal trial of David DePape who prosecutors say assaulted then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi, sending shockwaves through the political world simply days sooner than last 12 months’s midterm elections. The attack in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, additionally highlighted how conspiracy theories and incorrect information that unfold on-line can gasoline political violence.

DePape pleaded now not in charge to tried kidnapping of a federal professional and attack at the speedy circle of relatives member of a federal professional. Paul Pelosi is predicted to testify subsequent week.

DePape posted rants on a weblog and a web based discussion board about extraterrestrial beings, communists, spiritual minorities, and world elites. He puzzled the result of the 2020 election and echoed the baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy principle that says the U.S. executive is administered via a cabal of devil-worshipping pedophiles. The web pages have been taken down in a while after his arrest.

A Canadian citizen, DePape moved to the United States greater than two decades in the past after falling in love with Gypsy Taub, a Berkeley pro-nudity activist well known in the Bay Area, his stepfather, Gene DePape mentioned. In fresh years, David DePape were homeless and suffering with drug abuse and psychological sickness, Taub informed native media.

Federal prosecutors say DePape smashed his shoulder thru a tumbler panel on a door in the again of the Pelosis’ Pacific Heights mansion and faced a dozing Paul Pelosi, who used to be dressed in boxer shorts and a pajama best.

“Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” DePape requested, status over Paul Pelosi round 2 a.m. retaining a hammer and zip ties, in accordance to courtroom data. Nancy Pelosi used to be in Washington and underneath the safety of her safety element, which doesn’t prolong to members of the family.

Paul Pelosi referred to as 911 and two San Francisco Police officials confirmed up and witnessed DePape strike Paul Pelosi in the pinnacle with a hammer, knocking him subconscious, courtroom data confirmed.

Nancy Pelosi’s husband of 60 years later underwent surgical treatment to restore a cranium fracture and accidents to his correct arm and arms.

After his arrest, DePape, 43, allegedly informed a San Francisco detective that he sought after to cling Nancy Pelosi hostage. He mentioned that if she informed him the reality, he would let her cross and if she lied, he was going to “break her kneecaps” to display different participants of Congress there have been “consequences to actions,” in accordance to prosecutors.

A backpack DePape used to be wearing had tape and a rope, in addition to zip ties, in accordance to police.

The assault was captured on the officers’ body cameras. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley dominated last month that the jury will be allowed to see footage that displays Paul Pelosi in a pool of his personal blood suffering to breathe and the law enforcement officials making an attempt to forestall the bleeding. Angela Chuang, considered one of DePape’s federal public defenders, had argued that the stunning pictures could be prejudicial to her shopper.

Corley additionally dominated jurors can concentrate to parts of a 5-minute name DePape made in January to a tv reporter in which he repeated conspiracy theories.

“Freedom and liberty isn’t dying, it’s being killed systematically and deliberately,” he said.

“The tree of liberty needs watering. He needs men of valor, patriots willing to put their own lives on the line to stand in opposition to tyranny,” he added.

Katherine Keneally, a senior researcher on the nonprofit Institute for Strategic Dialogue, mentioned the attack is an instance of accelerating on-line hate, conspiracies and false narratives influencing political violence.

“This didn’t occur in a vacuum,” Keneally mentioned.

Keneally mentioned individuals who devote such conspiracy-fueled acts of violence continuously are suffering with psychological well being or different lifestyles crises, such because the dying of a circle of relatives member or a divorce.

“I can’t think of a single case where someone engaged in violent behavior where they were solely influenced by the conspiracy theory,” she mentioned.

DePape, who lived in a storage in the Bay Area town of Richmond and were doing unusual carpentry jobs to make stronger himself, allegedly told authorities he had other targets, together with a girls’s and queer research professor, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, actor Tom Hanks and President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

One of the ones goals is integrated in the protection’s quick witness checklist, despite the fact that their title has been redacted. The different conceivable witnesses are DePape, Nancy Pelosi’s leader of team of workers, Daniel Bernal, extremism and antisemitism researcher Elizabeth Yates, and federal public defender Catherine Goulet.

The prosecution’s checklist of possible witnesses accommodates 15 names, together with the surgeon who operated on Paul Pelosi, federal brokers, San Francisco law enforcement officials and a number of other first responders.

If convicted, DePape faces lifestyles in jail. He used to be additionally charged in state courtroom with tried homicide, attack with a perilous weapon, elder abuse, residential housebreaking and different felonies. He pleaded now not in charge to the ones fees. A state trial has now not been scheduled.