Paul Pelosi attacker resentenced to 30 years in prison

The man who attacked the husband of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at his home was resentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday, following an unusual second go at the hearing after a judicial error.

David DePape was initially sentenced in May to 20 years in prison for the October 2022 attempted kidnapping of Speaker Pelosi and 30 years for the attempted murder of her husband, Paul Pelosi, to be served simultaneously.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley did not allow DePape to speak before the hearing for the purpose of mitigating his sentence, an error that forced Corley to hold a second hearing for the sentencing Tuesday. 

Paul Pelosi barely survived the attack, during which he was hit in the head multiple times with a hammer. DePape initially planned to kidnap the then-Speaker, though she was not home.

DePape apologized Tuesday, but Corley gave him the same 30-year sentence.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” he said, adding that he felt horrible and never meant to hurt Pelosi and that he should have left the house when he realized the former Speaker was not there. 

DePape blamed the violence on a poor mental state, and said he has since reconnected with family and improved mentally.

Corley said the sentence needed to act as a deferral against future political violence.

“The message has to be out there that it’s absolutely unacceptable to our democracy,” she said. 

DePape’s attorneys argued against bringing the defendant back into the courtroom, claiming that the process could interfere with his California state trial. He faces charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Opening statements in that trial are scheduled to start Wednesday.