A sentencing hearing for the intruder who brutally attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband nearly 19 months ago was reopened by a judge on Saturday. The judge acknowledged that the defendant had not been given an opportunity to make a statement during the previous court proceedings.
David DePape, who broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, and attacked her husband, Paul, with a hammer, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. However, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley recognized the error of not asking DePape if he had anything to say. As a result, the hearing will be reopened on May 28 to provide DePape with an opportunity to make a statement.
In Friday’s hearing, Corley pointed out that the court failed to acknowledge that DePape was not allowed to speak, which is a violation of federal criminal procedures. She argued that the court made a clear error by not addressing this issue.
The error is not likely to change the sentence, but DePape will now have a chance to argue for a more lenient one. Prosecutors noticed the error on Friday afternoon, shortly after the sentence was read, and promptly informed the court. DePape’s lawyers swiftly filed an appeal in response.
DePape faced trial in November and was found guilty of two federal crimes: attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on a family member of a federal official. On Friday, Corley handed down the maximum sentence permissible by law – 20 years for the kidnapping charge and 30 years for the assault offense, to be served concurrently, with credit for time already served.
The defense lawyers representing DePape requested a 14-year sentence, arguing that he had acknowledged his actions and had been influenced by both an abusive partner and online conspiracy theories.
During the trial, DePape was not granted the opportunity to address the court. However, Christine Pelosi, the daughter of the Pelosis’, did speak on behalf of her parents. She read statements that expressed how deeply traumatized the family has been by the crimes.
Nancy Pelosi expressed her sorrow, stating that their home continues to be a heart-wrenching crime scene. Paul Pelosi shared the ongoing impact of his injuries, which included two skull fractures and a surgical procedure. He mentioned that the family has been unable to fully eradicate the bloodstains from their home’s floor.