SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – David DePape, arrested after allegedly breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and attacking her husband, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Tuesday. The judge ordered him to be held in jail without bail.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced she was charging DePape with attempted murder, residential burglary, assault, elder abuse and threatening a public official, charges that could put him in prison for 13 years to life.
Sketch by Vicki Behringer
Before his arraignment Tuesday afternoon, DePape had been transferred to county jail Tuesday after being released from San Francisco General Hospital. DePape had been in the hospital psychiatric ward under heavy guard following the attack.
In court Tuesday, he appeared with his arm in a sling and his public defender said he had a dislocated shoulder. The judge banned cameras from the proceeding.
A bail hearing and federal charges were still pending. DePape’s next court appearance on the state charges was scheduled for Nov. 4.
The charges stem from his arrest early Friday morning at the Pelosi home. According to San Francisco police, they responded to reports of a home break-in at approximately 2:27 a.m. and arrived to find DePape attacking 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
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“When officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and Mrs. Pelosi’s husband, Paul,” SFPD Chief Bill Scott told reporters. “Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”
“Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid,” he added.
Along with the hammer that DePape used to attack Pelosi, he also had zip ties, which he admitted to having so he could take Nancy Pelosi hostage.
Paul Pelosi remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured skull and faces a long road to recovery. DePape was hospitalized for mental observation until Tuesday, when the San Francisco County sheriff took him into custody before his hearing in San Francisco County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m.
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