Judge Dismisses State Charges Against Paul Pelosi’s Attacker, Citing Double Jeopardy
In a significant ruling, a judge dismissed state charges against David DePape, the attacker of Paul Pelosi, citing double jeopardy. DePape, already convicted in federal court, still faces multiple state charges.
San Francisco, (Bollywood Fever): A judge dismissed several state charges against Paul Pelosi’s attacker on Thursday, who had already been convicted in federal court, arguing that the charges constituted double jeopardy, according to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
David DePape was found guilty of assaulting a federal official’s family member and attempting to kidnap a federal official, receiving a 30-year prison sentence last month.
Despite the federal conviction, state prosecutors continued their case against DePape, who had attacked former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer in their San Francisco home in 2022. Paul Pelosi was 82 years old at the time.
However, DePape’s public defenders argued that the state trial constituted double jeopardy following the federal conviction. Although the charges were not identical, both cases arose from the same incident, according to the public defender’s office.
On Thursday, the judge dismissed the state charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon.
DePape still faces charges of false imprisonment, residential burglary, threatening a family member of a public official, attempting to sway a witness, and aggravated kidnapping. These charges were not included in the federal trial.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
During his federal trial testimony, DePape admitted that he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, interrogate her, and “break her kneecaps” if she did not confess to what he claimed were lies about “Russiagate,” referring to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The attack on Paul Pelosi, captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections, shocked the political world. He suffered two head wounds, including a skull fracture that required plates and screws, and sustained injuries to his right arm and hand.
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