David DePape, the man accused of brutally attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer last Friday, pleaded not guilty to state charges levied against him during a court arraignment Tuesday.
Donning an orange jumpsuit in his appearance, DePape, 42, also signed a protective order to steer clear of Paul Pelosi and his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). He is staring down a range of federal and state charges for the Oct. 28 attack. A judge ordered him held without bond.
NANCY PELOSI SAYS HUSBAND PAUL ‘MAKING STEADY PROGRESS’ BUT FACES ‘LONG RECOVERY’
On Monday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins unveiled a slew of felony charges against DePape, including attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official. If convicted, he could face 13 years to life with the charges, per Jenkins.
Prosecutors petitioned to detain DePape without bail due to the severe public safety risks he poses. The judge greenlighted the request Tuesday and set a bail hearing for Nov. 4.
DePape was in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday, where Jenkins filed the state charges against him. He is also facing one count of attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official and one count of assault of an immediate family member of a U.S. official from federal prosecutors.
“There’s also been a lot of speculation regarding Mr. DePape’s vulnerability to misinformation, and that’s certainly something we’re going to look into,” DePape’s lawyer, public defender Adam Lipson, told reporters following the arraignment.
Public Defender Lipson says “There’s also been a lot of speculation regarding Mr DePape’s vulnerability to misinformation, and that’s certainly something we’re going to look into,” but declines to make any assertions
— Jeremy B. White (@JeremyBWhite) November 1, 2022
DePape has an extensive history of spewing extremist viewers and peddling conspiracy theories on social media on topics such as the COVID-19 vaccine, the 2020 election, and the Capitol riot, according to multiple reports.
Last Friday, DePape broke into the Pelosi house via a glass door and allegedly sought out Nancy Pelosi, according to the federal criminal complaint against him. He mused about restraining Paul Pelosi with zip ties during the encounter. Paul Pelosi managed to call the police, who arrived on the scene around 2:30 a.m. local time.
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Responding officers discovered Paul Pelosi and DePape grappling for control of the hammer, said an FBI affidavit included in the complaint. DePape managed to strike him on the head, and he later received treatment at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital for a “skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to a spokesperson for the speaker.
“Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process,” Nancy Pelosi said Monday.
