Moments later – after being requested to drop the weapon – DePape abruptly struck Mr Pelosi earlier than being wrestled to the bottom by officers. Your complete incident was caught on physique cameras worn by the officers.
Along with a fractured cranium, Mr Pelosi suffered accidents to his arm and hand. He was struck 3 times in the course of the assault.
In a letter filed forward of the sentencing, Mrs Pelosi known as on the courtroom at hand down a “very lengthy” sentence for DePape, including that she and her husband have by no means been in a position to focus on the incident.
“Paul and I’ve not mentioned the occasions of that horrible night time,” she wrote. “Paul would not wish to bear revisiting it, and the docs’ recommendation is that discussing the vicious assault would solely renew his trauma.”
Throughout the trial, Mr Pelosi testified that DePape stated his plan was to “take out” Mrs Pelosi, whom he known as the “chief of the pack”.
“It was an amazing shock, taking a look at him, trying on the hammer and the ties,” Mr Pelosi recalled. “I recognised I used to be in critical hazard. I attempted to remain as calm as doable.”
After the assault, Mr Pelosi stated his subsequent reminiscence was waking as much as a “pool of blood” and being rushed to the hospital.
In his personal letter to the courtroom earlier than the sentencing, Mr Pelosi stated he’s nonetheless grapping with the consequences of the assault.
“I stroll slowly and have issue with my steadiness. Almost day-after-day I get complications that turn into migraines until rapidly addressed,” he wrote. “I have to sleep in the course of the day and can’t tolerate shiny lights or loud noises for prolonged durations of time.”
DePape’s court-appointed lawyer, Jodi Linker, argued that her shopper was motivated by right-wing conspiracy theories, which the defendant believed “with each ounce of his being”.
Prosecutors, nevertheless, argued that DePape had a “plan of violence”, noting that he informed investigators he had a “goal listing” and plan to interrupt Mrs Pelosi’s kneecaps if she didn’t reveal “the reality”. On the time of his arrest, DePape had zip ties and duct tape.
Exterior the courthouse, DePape’s son informed reporters that his father’s jail sentence was the identical because the dying penalty.
“I feel that is a extremely very long time, as a result of if you consider it, he is already almost 50,” Sky Gonzalez stated, in response to the Related Press. “Principally, it is only a dying sentence.”
Along with the federal expenses, DePape is going through separate state expenses stemming from the assault. They embrace housebreaking, assault with a lethal weapon, elder abuse, and tried homicide.
He faces life imprisonment if convicted of these expenses. He has pleaded not responsible.