Paul Pelosi’s attacker sentenced to life in prison

A California judge sentenced David DePape on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A San Francisco jury convicted the 44-year-old of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer during a 2022 home break-in. Court records showed that DePape aimed to take Nancy and other government officials captive, motivated by his belief in conspiracy theories.

Presiding Judge Harry Dorfman rejected appeals from DePape’s lawyer for a new state trial and to consider DePape’s mental health, according to reporting by the Associated Press. During the sentencing, Dorfman said he felt no sympathy for DePape and intended to prevent him from ever leaving prison. DePape voiced 9/11 conspiracy theories and insisted he had psychic powers while addressing the court before his sentencing.

Didn’t the Justice Department already sentence DePape in May? DePape was tried and convicted in both federal and state courts. A federal judge the attacker to 30 years in prison in May for his federal conviction. This new life sentence falls under the state case.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s original reporting on the 2022 attack.