China news agency, San Francisco, May 17 - On the 17th local time, a federal judge in San Francisco sentenced the man who attacked the husband of Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, to 30 years in prison.
According to the Los Angeles Times, federal judge Jacqueline Scott Collie sentenced David Wayne Depap to 30 years' imprisonment and 20 years' imprisonment for assault and attempted kidnapping in the Northern District Court of California on the 17th, both of which were executed simultaneously.
Previously, the federal prosecutor requested the court to sentence Depap to 40 years' imprisonment because his crime met the federal definition of terrorism and should be increased. The prosecutor said that Depap had no regrets about his crime, and that a heavier sentence would deter other potential attackers motivated by ideological extremism. Nancy Pelosi also said in her letter to the judge that it was necessary to sentence the guilty party to a "very long sentence". According to the Associated Press, the public defense lawyer asked the judge to sentence Depap to 14 years' imprisonment, because he was going through a difficult period in his life at that time, and he had no criminal record.
After being arrested, Depap admitted that he broke into the Pelosi couple's home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022, and intended to take Nancy Pelosi as a hostage, claiming that if Pelosi lied to him, he would "break her knee". Depap also admitted that he attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer after the police appeared. In November 2023, the jury found that Depap was guilty of "attempting to kidnap a federal official and attacking a direct family member of a federal official".
Depap's lawyer once argued that his client's attack was out of political belief rather than trying to interfere with Nancy Pelosi's official duties as a member of Congress, so the charges against him were invalid. The lawyer also told the jurors that Depap was deeply influenced by conspiracy theories. Depap also pleaded not guilty to the charges. He admitted that after reading the comments on the Internet about former President Trump of the United States, his political tendency shifted from the left to the right. Depap said that he attacked Paul Pelosi after realizing that his larger plan might collapse.
The New York Times reported that Depap also faced multiple felony charges in California courts, including attempted murder, abuse of the elderly and attacks with lethal weapons. The jury selection for the trial is expected to start on the 22nd of this month. (End)
