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Suspect successful Pelosi hammer onslaught pleads not blameworthy
Opening statements are acceptable to statesman Thursday, Nov. 9, successful the national proceedings of David DePape. The 43-year-old was charged successful the October 2022 hammer attack connected erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hubby Paul, successful the couple's San Francisco home.
He has pleaded not guilty and has remained successful custody.
While DePape's attorneys had tried to get the proceedings moved from San Francisco, saying it would beryllium hard to get a just proceedings due to the fact that section media attraction connected the lawsuit had tainted the assemblage pool, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley rejected their effort.
Jury enactment started Monday, Nov. 6. Paul Pelosi, who suffered a fractured skull and different injuries successful the attack, is expected to testify, arsenic is simply a witnesser whose individuality is being protected by the court, known lone arsenic "Target 1."
Who is David DePape?
David Wayne DePape is simply a nonmigratory of Richmond, a tiny metropolis adjacent Berkeley successful California's Bay Area. At the clip of the attack, authorities said, helium was surviving successful a garage.
Paul Pelosi battle fishy David DePape.
California DMV
When authorities searched that home, they recovered 2 hammers, a sword, and a brace of rubber and cloth gloves, according to tribunal documents. They besides allegedly recovered paperwork from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the IRS arsenic good arsenic Paypal recognition cards.
A Canadian citizen, DePape may person been successful the state illegally, and the Department of Homeland Security reportedly issued what's known arsenic a detainer, oregon a petition to instrumentality a idiosyncratic arrested for a transgression into their custody aft they are released by instrumentality enforcement, aft his arrest.
What is David DePape charged with?
The FBI and San Francisco Police Department confirmed they had a fishy successful custody connected Oct. 28, 2022, the aforesaid time Paul Pelosi was attacked.
DePape was charged with 2 national felonies: attempted kidnapping of a national serviceman oregon worker and battle of an contiguous household subordinate of a national official. If convicted, helium faces up to 20 years successful situation connected the archetypal complaint and 30 years successful situation connected the 2nd charge.
He besides faces abstracted state charges that see attempted murder, residential burglary, battle with a deadly weapon, threats to a nationalist authoritative and others that transportation imaginable penalties of much than 13 years to beingness successful prison. He has also pleaded not blameworthy to those.
What happened during the onslaught connected Paul Pelosi?
According to court documents, Paul Pelosi called 911 soon earlier 2:30 a.m., saying a antheral helium didn't cognize had breached into his location and was looking for his wife.
Both DePape and Pelosi recounted the incidental to constabulary the nighttime it happened, tribunal documents state.
DePape told constabulary helium broke into the location done a solid backmost patio door. According to the complaint, Pelosi was awoken by DePape, who came into his chamber and said helium wanted to speech to Nancy, meaning his wife, Nancy Pelosi, who was successful Washington, D.C., astatine the time. When Pelosi said his woman was not there, DePape told him helium would beryllium and hold for her, helium told police. Pelosi said helium was capable to telephone 911 from the bathroom.
When constabulary arrived a fewer minutes later, they recovered Pelosi and DePape some gripping a hammer, with DePape holding Pelosi's arm, according to the complaint.
Bodycam video aboriginal released by the tribunal shows constabulary asking them to driblet the hammer, DePape pulling it distant from Pelosi and past hitting him successful the head. The ailment states Pelosi was unconscious connected the crushed arsenic constabulary restrained DePape.
DePape aboriginal told constabulary helium was going to clasp Nancy Pelosi hostage, threatening to interruption her kneecaps if she lied arsenic a informing to different members of Congress, and to usage her to lure idiosyncratic else, referred to arsenic Target 1, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, constabulary recovered a rotation of tape, achromatic rope, a hammer, a brace of rubber and cloth gloves, and a diary successful DePape's backpack astatine the scene. They besides recovered zip ties successful Pelosi's bedroom, which DePape told constabulary helium wanted to usage necktie Pelosi up.
How are conspiracy theories linked to the case?
DePape appears to person discussed aggregate conspiracy theories online, including ones related to elector fraud, clime alteration and the COVID pandemic. He has besides posted antisemitic rants on with defenses of erstwhile President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 statesmanlike election. Posts besides absorption connected censorship by authorities and tech companies, and see memes astir the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol.
Posts besides made notation to QAnon, an online question supportive of Trump that, among different things, claims a planetary cabal of pedophiles and Satan-worshipers known arsenic the "deep state" tally America and prosecute successful kid enactment trafficking.
DePape was "out of interaction with reality" and estranged from reality, relatives told CNN astatine the time.
CBS News Bay Area reported San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins had addressed misinformation circulating astir the incident, saying she was besides alert of a tweet by billionaire Elon Musk that promoted a baseless assertion astir the attack. Musk aboriginal deleted the tweet.
"I deliberation determination needs to beryllium a respect for what that household has endured, what Mr. Pelosi has endured and is recovering from," Jenkins said.
What grounds has been released to the public?
A justice earlier this twelvemonth allowed the merchandise of body-worn camera video and audio of the onslaught from the San Francisco Police Department, audio of Pelosi's 911 call, and a information of an interrogation with DePape arsenic good arsenic video from a information camera extracurricular the Pelosis' home.
The San Francisco District Attorney's Office objected to releasing the evidence, citing concerns astir the dispersed of misinformation. DePape's lawyer had besides opposed the release, peculiarly the video, citing concerns it would impact his quality to get a just trial.
"Releasing this footage is disrespectful to Mr. Pelosi, and serves nary intent but to provender the nationalist tendency for spectacle and violence. The footage is inflammatory and could provender unfounded theories astir this case, and we are highly acrophobic astir Mr. DePape's quality to get a just trial," said nationalist defender Adam Lipson.
What has Nancy Pelosi said astir the attack?
Nancy Pelosi said successful the past that she didn't cognize if she would ticker the video. It shows the onslaught successful graphic detail.
"I mean, it would beryllium a precise hard happening to spot an battle connected my husband's life," she told reporters successful January.
In the aftermath of the attack, soon earlier the 2022 elections, she told a radical of supporters connected a call: "People accidental to me, 'What tin I bash to marque you consciousness better?' I say: 'Vote!'"
She was affectional talking astir her husband's information astatine the time. "It's going to beryllium a agelong haul," she said of his recovery.
Pelosi was released from the hospital a week aft the attack. At that time, the congresswoman said helium would stay nether a doctor's attraction during what she described arsenic "a agelong betterment process and convalescence."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and hubby Paul Pelosi be the 45th Kennedy Center Honors astatine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington, D.C., connected Dec. 4, 2022, a period aft helium was released from the infirmary pursuing the attack.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
One of the Pelosis' daughters, Alexandra, told CBS News successful December that her father's betterment had been dilatory and steady.
"He's getting amended each day, convey you for asking," she said successful effect to a question from CBS News' John Dickerson. "The scars are healing. I mean, helium looks similar Frankenstein. The scars are healing. But I deliberation the affectional scars, uh, I don't cognize if those ever heal.
"I mean, that's tough. It's truly tough. I don't deliberation it's OK for an 82-year-old antheral to beryllium attacked successful his location successful the mediate of the nighttime due to the fact that of immoderate his woman does for work."
Thanks for speechmaking CBS NEWS.
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