The man accused of bludgeoning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer in late October as part of a failed bid to kidnap one of the nation’s most powerful politicians told police that his victim “pushed me into a corner” by calling for help during the early-morning attack, according to an interview played during a court hearing Wednesday.
David DePape described in detail holding Paul Pelosi in his house against his will in the recordings, played by prosecutors during a preliminary hearing to determine whether DePape will go to trial on state charges. He also could be heard discussing the attack itself, which ended when he allegedly struck Pelosi in the head with a hammer as the two struggled over the tool.
The interview recording, as well as 911 recordings and police body-camera footage, highlighted a key evidence hearing Wednesday to determine whether DePape will stand trial in San Francisco County Superior Court on a slew of charges in the late October attack. DePape also faces federal charges in the case.
Paul Pelosi, 82, underwent surgery to repair a fractured skull and was hospitalized for nearly a week after the attack.
DePape repeatedly told an investigator that he had no plans to surrender and that he was fueled by anger over lies by the Democratic Party and what he viewed as illegal behavior on the part of elected Democrats, according to the recordings.
In describing his thought process as he stood in the Pelosis' foyer and cops entered the house, DePape told police that “he (Paul Pelosi) thinks that I’ll just surrender, and I didn’t come here to surrender.”
Authorities suspect DePape broke into the Pelosi household in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood just after 2 a.m. on Oct. 28 in a failed bid to kidnap Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House. Calling his quest a “suicide mission,” DePape told investigators that he planned to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps and wheel her before Congress to “show other members of Congress there were consequences to actions,” according to court documents.
Instead, he found her husband, Paul Pelosi, asleep in the couple’s bedroom — leading to a tense encounter, with both men grappling over a hammer in the house’s dimly lit foyer, according to an indictment delivered by a federal grand jury last week.
Court records have already shown how Paul Pelosi called 911 and alerted authorities before abrupting ending the call as his attacker stood nearby, telling dispatchers that “he wants me to get the hell off the phone.”
Police body-camera footage shown to the judge Wednesday depicted a scene that played out in mere seconds. Officers expressed at first confusion when they entered the Pelosi residence. They described an attack that happened in mere seconds, almost without notice, after one officer ordered DePape to drop the hammer after he allegedly wrestled it away from Pelosi.
Instead, DePape swung the tool at Paul Pelosi — hitting him in the head and knocking him to the floor unconscious, authorities said in the indictment.
During the interview with police played in court Wednesday, DePape made references to other people that he planned to target and said that Paul Pelosi’s attempts to call police did not sit well with him.
“I will not be stopped here,” DePape told investigators while recalling the break-in.
He also described his thought process earlier during the break-in when Paul Pelosi called 911. “It’s like, honestly, he pushed me into a corner. He pushed me into a corner where I have to do something.”
More details of his interview with detectives, conducted hours after the encounter, are expected later Wednesday as the hearing continues. Judge Stephen M. Murphy will decide after hearing from prosecutors whether there is enough evidence to send DePape to trial.
Police body-camera footage was also played in court Wednesday, though a monitor set up for the judge’s viewing did not allow members of the gallery to see much of the video.
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