Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul described the impact of a brutal hammer attack that left the former House speaker’s wife with a fractured skull in letters to a judge pleading for her attacker to be jailed.
Paul Pelosi described how he was beaten unconscious and woke up in a pool of his own blood after the savage assault on October 28, 2022.
David DePape, a former nudist from Canada, was convicted of the attack in November and faces up to 50 years in prison at his sentencing today.
He was trying to attack Nancy Pelosi, but made her husband “take the punishment” when it was learned that she was not home.
In her letter, Pelosi described how her life has changed “irrevocably,” with “severe and persistent” injuries that interfere with managing basic tasks like buttoning her shirt and using cutlery.
‘Since the defendant violently broke into my house and woke me up screaming “Where’s Nancy?” At 2:00 am on October 28, 2022, my life changed irrevocably,’ she wrote.
Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul described the impact of a brutal hammer attack that left the former House speaker’s wife with a fractured skull in letters to a judge pleading for her attacker to be jailed.
In her letter, Nancy Pelosi asks for a ‘very long punishment’ for the savage attack that left her husband permanently injured
The sickening attack was captured on surveillance footage that Paul Pelosi has been unable to view due to trauma.
David DePape, a former nudist from Canada, was convicted of the attack in November and faces up to 50 years in prison.
“I was woken up by a large, violent man holding a hammer and zip ties, I tried to calm him down and save my own life.”
He explained in excruciating detail the nerve damage caused by his forehand, which “came off his glove, exposing raw nerves and blood vessels.”
He added that the trauma remains so great that he cannot talk about the events with anyone or see the harrowing surveillance footage that captured the attack.
‘It has taken many months to recover my home and my well-being. Still, we do not answer our landline or our front door due to the continued threats,” she wrote.
“I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the brutal assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent of the law.”
His wishes were echoed by his wife, who wrote of the “devastating” impact of the attack which “echoing the threats of January 6, filled me with deep fear and pain.”
‘Paul almost died in the front entrance of our house. Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and assault are impossible to avoid,” he wrote.
The former spokesperson described her fear of a copycat attack and explained that her husband’s recovery has taken a toll on her professional life.
DePape was convicted of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault of an immediate family member of a federal official.
Paul Pelosi said his life had changed “irrevocably” since the attack which left him with persistent nerve damage in his hand. In the photo: Pelosi with a hat and gloves two months after the assault.
Paul Pelosi described how he had to struggle with basic tasks such as buttoning shirts and using cutlery due to agonizing nerve damage suffered during the attack.
Defense attorneys argued that DePape was caught up in conspiracies and was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Nancy Pelosi’s official duties as a member of Congress.
Prosecutor Helen Gilbert said the defense had made a false distinction between the California Democrat’s politics and his official duties and that DePape did not differentiate between the two.
DePape’s defense attorney admitted that he carried out the assault, which he testified was part of a “grand plan” to expose Hunter Biden.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi said she and her family were “deeply grateful for the prayers and warm wishes.”
“The Pelosi family is very proud of their father, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago and in the courtroom this week,” spokesman Aaron Bennett said.
During his testimony, DePape cried on the stand and apologized for hitting the House Speaker’s husband, but admitted that he wanted to question Nancy and was willing to break her kneecaps if she had been home.
He told the court: “I wanted to ask him a question about Russiagate, film it and post it online.”
‘I was planning to wear the unicorn costume and record it with the body camera I bought. I kind of expected her to come with me and tell me what I wanted to hear.
Finding her then-82-year-old husband alone at home, DePape engaged in what she told agents was a “pretty friendly” exchange, during which Paul Pelosi, pictured, managed to ask the police for help. authorities.
Defense attorney Angela Chuang presented closing arguments Wednesday.
Court records of DePape’s Amazon purchases in the months before the attacks revealed a list of items he allegedly took with him to the crime scene.
They included a camping backpack, computer cables, body cameras, crayons, and, interestingly, two Spooktacular unicorn costumes.
DePape added that after hitting Pelosi he felt “really bad” for him.
He told the court: “When he was on the ground, bleeding, I was very afraid for his life. “I felt very bad for him because we had a very good relationship until the last second.
‘I reacted because my plan was basically ruined. He was never the target and I’m sorry he was hurt.
Prosecutors played body camera footage of the attack and DePape watched unfazed.
Graphic footage of the hammer attack showed an officer shining a flashlight, confronting DePape with Pelosi at the door.
As the two fight, DePape raises his gavel and hits Pelosi in the head, knocking him to the ground three times.
Screenshot of security footage shows DePape outside Pelosi’s home
Paul Pelosi was struck several times with the hammer rendering him unconscious when officers rushed in and arrested DePape.
Another video showed blood gushing from Pelosi’s head, her hands soaked red, as paramedics treated him.
FBI Special Agent Stephanie Minor testified that they reviewed web activity found on DePape’s hard drive, including a series of searches related to Nancy Pelosi in the days before the attack.
She testified that there were about 50 video surveillance cameras capturing DePape’s journey to carry out the hammer attack.
Paul Pelosi took the stand during the trial and recounted the horrible experience.
“The door opened and a very, very large man walked in with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other,” Pelosi told the court.
‘He said where is Nancy?
“He burst through the door and woke me up.”
Testifying for about an hour, Pelosi told the court of her efforts to alert 911 to the threat, without pressuring DePape to attack him.
Aerial footage showed broken glass and shattered glass at the back door of Pelosi’s home after the attack.
Paul Pelosi attends an unveiling ceremony for his wife’s portrait in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington on December 14, 2022. He was frequently seen wearing a hat following the attack.
He described how he negotiated with DePape to go downstairs, where Pelosi expected police to rescue him. And he said that he ‘woke up in a pool of blood’.
Pelosi said he has not fully recovered from his injuries. A neurosurgeon who operated on him testified that Pelosi had two head injuries, including a skull fracture that had to be repaired with plates and screws that he will have for the rest of his life.
During the trial, prosecutors played a recording of a call DePage later made to a journalist in which he said, “I have an important message for everyone in America.” You are welcome.’
When authorities arrested DePape, they found a manifesto containing anti-government beliefs and a list of other politicians he planned to attack.
He also pleaded not guilty to charges filed in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies.
Opening arguments in the state trial are scheduled for May 24 or 28.
