Alleged Paul Pelosi attacker enters not guilty plea for state charges

The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at the couple’s California home last week entered a “not guilty” plea during his arraignment in San Francisco on Tuesday.

David Wayne DePape, 42 of California, is facing six state charges in connection to the alleged attack on Paul Pelosi, 82: attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary false imprisonment and threatening the life or serious bodily harm to a public official. He is also facing federal assault and attempted kidnapping charges.

DePape made his first court appearance at the San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday for his arraignment, wearing orange jail clothing.

DePape’s lawyer, Adam Lipson, entered the not guilty plea for DePape, a spokesperson for the court confirmed to The Hill. The suspect spoke briefly during the hearing to inform the judge of how to pronounce his last name (dih-PAP’).

Judge Diane Northway ordered DePape to be held in custody without bail. A subsequent hearing will be held on Friday to determine whether or not the defendant should be granted bail.

DePape is facing between 13 years and life in prison for the state charges, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

On Monday, when announcing the state charges, Jenkins said her office would be filing a motion to detain DePape without bail because of “obvious and severe public safety risks that the defendant poses to San Francisco as well as the outer community.”

The judge also signed a protective order that prohibits DePape from getting in touch with the Pelosis or being within 150 yards of their house, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

After Tuesday’s hearing, Lipson told reporters he is “looking forward to providing a vigorous defense” for DePape and “getting to an equitable and just resolution of this matter.”

The lawyer — who is a deputy public defender — said he first met with DePape Monday night “for a brief meeting,” and has not yet seen the police reports.

He did, however, caution individuals from speculating too much about the case with so few details known.

“We have very little information about this case at this time. There’s been a lot of speculation, a lot of rumor, simply based on the nature of this case,” he said.

“What I will say is that there’s also been a lot of speculation regarding Mr. DePape’s vulnerability to misinformation, and that’s certainly something that we’re gonna look into, that we’re gonna delve into, as his defense team, but again it would be premature to talk about that at this time,” he added.

DePape reportedly posted a number of conspiracy theories on Facebook relating to COVID-19 vaccinations, the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

DePape was taken into custody on Friday after allegedly breaking into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home and striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer. According to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) affidavit, the defendant broke a glass door using a hammer to enter the house.

In an interview following the altercation, DePape told San Francisco police officers that he wanted to hold Speaker Pelosi hostage to talk to her, according to the affidavit. He said he wanted to wait for Pelosi — who was in Washington, D.C. at the time — to return home.

DePape told officers that if the Speaker told “the truth,” he would let her go, but if she “lied,” he was going to break “her kneecaps,” according to the DOJ’s charging document.

“DEPAPE also later explained that by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions,” the affidavit reads.

Jenkins on Monday said DePape “specifically targeted the Pelosi home to confront Speaker Pelosi,” adding that the attack appears to be politically motivated, based on statements and comments the defendant made in the Pelosi residence during the altercation.

On Friday, a source familiar with the investigation told The Hill that the before the assault, the alleged attacker approached Paul Pelosi and shouted “where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?”

On Monday evening, Speaker Pelosi in a statement said her husband was “making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”

“Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes. We are most grateful,” she added.

Updated: 6:29 p.m.