(Bloomberg) — The intruder accused of striking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in the head with a hammer was ordered to go to trial for attempted murder and other charges.
(Bloomberg) — The intruder accused of striking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in the head with a hammer was ordered to go to trial for attempted murder and other charges.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen Murphy ruled Wednesday that local prosecutors have sufficient evidence to proceed, after hearing hours of testimony in criminal court.
The district attorney’s office called a police officer and investigator as witnesses and played police footage of the alleged attacker, David DePape, assaulting Paul Pelosi in front of his home. They also played a recording of Paul Pelosi’s call to 911.
Police say DePape broke into the Pelosi residence early on Oct. 28, aiming to take the House Speaker hostage. She was in Washington at the time. DePape allegedly attacked her husband after a verbal confrontation and a struggle.
Read More: Inside Pelosi House With an Intruder on a ‘Suicide Mission’
DePape “formed the intent early on to take out anyone in his way. Mr. Pelosi got in his way in particular when he called 911,” the judge said, summing up his view of the evidence. “He intended to kill Mr. Pelosi when he got in his way.”
Besides attempted murder, the state charges against DePape include assault with a deadly weapon, residential burglary, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder and threatening a public official’s family member. He has pleaded not guilty.
DePape also faces charges filed by the Justice Department of attempted kidnapping of a US official and assault of an immediate family member of a US official in retaliation for performing her duties. He faces decades in prison in both cases if convicted.
DePape’s lawyer, public defender Adam Lipson, argued Wednesday that DePape’s attack wasn’t premeditated.
“What ‘I’m going to take you out’ means isn’t completely clear,” the lawyer told Murphy. While DePape clearly thought through breaking into the home, “Mr. Pelosi was never a target.” It was only after the police arrived and Pelosi grabbed the hammer, that DePape reacted in the “spur of the moment,” Lipson said.
The state case is People of the State of California v. DePape, 22012966, California Superior Court, San Francisco County (San Francisco). The federal case is USA v. DePape, 22-mj-71419, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
(Updates with judge’s reasoning)
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