(StraightNews.org) – A federal judge is to convene a new sentencing hearing for David DePape, the man convicted of attacking and injuring former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sent DePape to prison for 20 years for attempting to kidnap Speaker Pelosi and 30 years for the assault on her husband. Days later, however, Judge Corley said she had committed an error by not permitting the defendant to make a pre-sentence statement in court. A new hearing is scheduled for May 28.
Judge Corley wrote that it was “the Court’s responsibility to personally ask Mr. DePape if he wanted to speak,” and prosecuting attorneys filed a motion hours after the case closed stating that federal law permits the defendant to make a mitigation statement prior to sentencing.
A jury convicted DePape for the attack on Pelosi, which took place at his California home in 2022. Police bodycam footage showed Mr. DePape holding Pelosi hostage with a hammer before launching at him and fracturing the 82-year-old’s skull. Prosecutors requested a 40-year jail term to drive home the seriousness of attacks on political figures and their families. When Judge Corley delivered the 30-year sentence, DePape reportedly did not react.
The Pelosi family issued a statement saying they “couldn’t be prouder” of their “Pop,” who had displayed courage and fortitude in recovering from the assault.
During his trial, DePape admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi and said he attended the couple’s home with the intention of taking Nancy Pelosi hostage and demanding she admit to the corruption he believes is endemic in politics. The Speaker was not home when he arrived.
Canadian DePape moved to the US in 2000, first to Hawaii and then with a girlfriend to California. His mental health reportedly deteriorated after the couple broke up in 2009, and he began using drugs. Former girlfriend Gypsy Taub said he descended into paranoia and had frequent delusions that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ.
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