Suspect In Attack On Paul Pelosi Pleads Not Guilty To State Charges – Update

2ND UPDATE: David DePape, the suspect arrested in the attack of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their San Francisco home, pleaded not guilty to state charges Tuesday.

David DePape is facing charges of attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. His public defender entered the not guilty plea during the arraignment hearing in San Francisco Superior Court. DePape was ordered held without bail.

According to a court filing, per the Associated Press, DePape told police he was on a “suicide mission” with plans to target other key figures and politicians.

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The state charges are in addition to several federal charges filed after the attack in the early morning hours of October 28 including assault and attempted kidnapping.

UPDATE, October 31: San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins outlined a series of state charges against the suspect in the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.

David DePape, 42, is facing charges of attempted murder, burglary, elder abuse and assault. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, and Jenkins said that she will recommend that he be held without bail. He also faces federal charges.

Jenkins said that the incident has “certainly unnerved us all,” as she referred to the city’s past history of political violence. In 1978, Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

Jenkins called for a toning down of political rhetoric, but some GOP candidates and other figures have joked about the incident. On Monday, Kari Lake, running for governor of Arizona, made light of the attack at a campaign event.

PREVIOUSLY: The suspect in the break-in and attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, has been charged with a series of federal crimes and, in an interview with with San Francisco police officers, admitted that he wanted to hold the House speaker hostage.

David DePape, 42, was charged with assault and attempted kidnapping on Monday, according to the Justice Department, adding to a number of state charges he is expected to face. Police say that when they arrived at the Pelosi residence early on Friday morning, the suspect struck Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, severely injuring him. He is expected to make a full recovery.

An FBI affidavit filed on Monday also further debunks a range of conspiracy theories that have emerged among right wing figures and that have been amplified by Twitter owner Elon Musk, among others.

Nancy Pelosi was not at the residence during the break in but was in Washington, D.C.

According to the affidavit — which you can read here — DePape told officers in a recorded interview that he planned to take Pelosi hostage and if she were to tell him the “truth,” “he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps.’” During the interview, he “later explained that by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions.” He also “explained generally that he wanted to use Nancy to lure another individual” to him.

In the interview, the suspect stated that after he struck Pelosi with the hammer, he “explained that Pelosi’s actions resulted in” her husband “taking the punishment instead,” according to the affidavit.

Law enforcement recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway hear the front door of the residence, according to the affidavit, and found a roll of tape, white rope, a hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves and a journal in the suspect’s backpack.

According to the affidavit, the suspect admitted to breaking into the house through a glass door, “which was a difficult task that required the use of a hammer.” He then told officers that Paul Pelosi was in bed and “appeared surprised” by him, and told Pelosi that he was “looking for Nancy.” Pelosi went to a bathroom to call 911, but the suspect said that he did not leave then because “much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender.”

When police arrived and knocked on the door, Pelosi opened it, and then grabbed onto the suspect’s hammer, which was in his hand.

“At this point in the interview, DePape repeated that DePape did not plan to surrender and that he
would go ‘through’ Pelosi,” according to the affidavit.

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