A San Francisco police officer testified Wednesday that he witnessed a man attack the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer inside the couple's home.
The suspect, David DePape, allegedly broke into the Pelosis' San Francisco home on Oct. 28, seeking to kidnap the speaker — who was out of town — and instead beat her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. The violence sent shockwaves through the political world.
DePape, wearing an orange jumpsuit during a preliminary hearing in state court, has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges, including attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse. He remains held without bail.
Prosecutors presented the hammer that was allegedly used in the assault and played Paul Pelosi’s 911 call to San Francisco police during Wednesday’s proceedings, which were attended by Christine Pelosi, one of the Pelosis’ five adult children. The police dispatcher has been widely credited with sending two officers to the couple’s home despite limited information.
In November, Nancy Pelosi said she will step down as the Democrats' leader after 20 years as the party's head. Paul Pelosi, her husband of nearly 60 years, drew a standing ovation earlier this month when the couple attended the Kennedy Center Honors — his first public appearance since the assault. Christine Pelosi is considered to be a potential successor when the speaker retires, though she has never held elected office.
DePape (dih-PAP’) told police he was on a “suicide mission” and had plans to target other California and federal politicians, court documents say. Authorities have said he was drawn to conspiracy theories.
DePape allegedly smashed his way into the Pelosis' home, confronted Paul Pelosi, who was sleeping in boxer shorts and a pajama top, and demanded to know where “Nancy” was.
DePape allegedly then told Paul Pelosi that if Nancy Pelosi told him the "'truth', he would let her go and if she 'lied,’ he was going to break her kneecaps, ” the criminal complaint alleges.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was eventually able to call 911 to summon San Francisco police. Officers arrived two minutes later to see the two men struggling over a hammer, and then DePape struck Pelosi at least once before being tackled by officers.
Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious by the hammer attack and woke up in a pool of his own blood. He later underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.
Speaker Pelosi was in Washington at the time and under the protection of her security detail, which does not extend to family members. Threats against lawmakers and elections officials have been at all-time highs since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, and authorities have issued warnings about rising extremism in the U.S.
One of the judges in DePape's state case, Judge Loretta “Lori” Giorgi, disclosed last month that she had worked with Christine Pelosi in the San Francisco city attorney’s office in the 1990s but they had not interacted in years. Although neither side officially objected to Giorgi, the case was transferred to a new judge — which is common practice — for the preliminary hearing.
