A San Francisco jury on Friday found David DePape guilty on all counts related to his attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
The charges against him included first-degree burglary, false imprisonment of an elder, threatening a family member of a public official, and dissuading a witness by force or threat. The jury also found that DePape inflicted great bodily injury and used a deadly weapon when he broke into the Pelosi residence in October 2022 and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. DePape had intended to interrogate the former speaker on camera, but she was not home at the time.
Opening statements in the state trial commenced in late May, one day after the reopening of DePape’s federal sentencing due to a procedural error that had prevented him from speaking during his initial sentencing.
During the trial, DePape’s attorney successfully argued for the dismissal of several state charges similar to those DePape was convicted of in federal court. Subsequently, Judge Harry Dorfman of the San Francisco County Superior Court dismissed the counts of attempted murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon, citing the state’s double jeopardy law that prevents defendants from being tried for the same crime more than once.
DePape’s attorney reacted to Friday’s verdict and criticized the decision to charge DePape with kidnapping for ransom, noting it was added only after the dismissal of the attempted murder charge under California’s double jeopardy laws. They had contested this as vindictive prosecution in a motion, which the court denied, stating the trial had not yet begun. Aggravated kidnapping is punishable by life imprisonment without parole in California.
DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month on federal charges. Friday’s verdict means that following his 30-year sentence in federal prison, he will be transferred to California to serve a life sentence in state prison. DePape is currently in custody, and state sentencing is yet to be scheduled.