246webagency
[ad_1]
SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of seriously injuring the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a home invasion pleaded not guilty Tuesday in his first court appearance since the stunning assault that underscored the threat of violence against public officials in a politically polarized nation.
David DePape, charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, among other counts, wore an orange jumpsuit with one arm in a sling after suffering a dislocated shoulder during his arrest early Friday after allegedly striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
DePape said little during the brief hearing where his court-appointed public defender Adam Lipson entered the plea on his client’s behalf. The 42-year-old suspect will remain in custody at the San Francisco County Jail. Lipson said he had only met DePape Monday night and had not yet received the police report.
A detention hearing has been set for Friday.
“There’s been a lot of speculation regarding Mr. DePape’s vulnerability to misinformation,” Lipson said following the hearing, referring to conspiracy theories driven by intense political division. “That’s certainly something that we’re going to look into.’’
Capitol Police chief: ‘More resources’ needed after attack on Paul Pelosi
Lipson declined to comment on DePape’s mental state.
“We’re going to be doing a comprehensive investigation of what happened,” the attorney said. “We’re going to be looking into Mr. DePape, his mental state. I’m not going to talk any further than that until I have more information.’’
Pelosi, 82, was knocked unconscious and suffered a skull fracture along with arm and hand injuries, all of which required surgery. His wife, whom the suspected assailant was seeking, was in Washington, D.C., at the time.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who has described the attack as “politically motivated,’’ cast the suspect as a “public safety risk’’ and “a very dangerous man.’’
“This is not a random act of violence; this is not a random residential burglary,” Jenkins said Tuesday, dismissing suggestions that the incident was a symptom of a citywide public safety problem. “This is something that was specifically targeted.
“I think it’s more so representative of the state of politics in the United States, that people believe an act of violence against members of our political government is okay.”
History of threats against Nancy Pelosi:‘It’s here; we shouldn’t be surprised’
DePape also faces federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping punishable by 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively. The court document alleging the attack paints a portrait of a person with a political vendetta, saying DePape was “prepared to detain and injure Speaker Pelosi’’ and carried a backpack with zip ties, tape, rope, gloves and at least one hammer.
According to the FBI, DePape told San Francisco police he intended to speak with Pelosi and let her go if she was truthful with him, but break her kneecaps if she lied, as he viewed her as the “leader of the pack’’ of Democratic Party lies.
“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 document said.
DePape acknowledged he broke a glass door with a hammer to get into the house and found Paul Pelosi sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, then inquired about his wife’s whereabouts. When told she wasn’t there, he said he would wait for her, the complaint said.
FACT CHECKED: Get the truth with USA TODAY’s free Checking the Facts newsletter
Paul Pelosi eventually made it to a bathroom, from where he called 911. Though he was aware of that, DePape told police he didn’t leave the house because, “much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender.”
DePape’s social media postings include right-wing conspiracy theories, and his former girlfriend told the San Francisco Chronicle he sank into drug abuse and mental illness to the point he became convinced “he was Jesus for a year.’’
After the 911 call, he and Pelosi went downstairs near the front door. When police arrived, they were tussling over a hammer, which DePape wrested away and used to strike Pelosi before the officers intervened, according to the complaint.
Jenkins said the assault “unnerved me as a political figure in this city’’ – she’s on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election – and she appealed for more civil discourse. Pelosi and DePape had never previously met, the complaint said.
“It’s very sad to see that we’re once again at a point in history where people believe that it’s OK to express their political sentiments through violence,’’ Jenkins said. “It really demonstrates that we have to calm things down, we have to decide that we are going to be more respectful as an American society.’’
WHO IS DAVID DePAPE?What we know about the suspect who attacked Paul Pelosi
[ad_2]
Source link
