Paul Pelosi Attacker Gets Life in Prison Without Parole

Facts

• David DePape was given a life term without the possibility of parole on Tuesday for attacking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer in their California home on Oct. 28, 2022.^[1]
• In sentencing DePape, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman said he intended 'that Mr. DePape will never get out of prison.' In May, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal crimes connected to the break-in.^[2]
• This comes after a San Francisco jury in June found DePape guilty of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, threats against an elected official or their family, and preventing or dissuading a witness by force or threat.^[3]
• A Canadian citizen living in the US, DePape had testified that he intended to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, film an interrogation of the former speaker, and extract an admission of guilt for allegedly misleading claims of Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.^[4][5]
• DePape's attorneys requested a new trial on Tuesday, arguing he 'has always been a peaceful, law-abiding person up until his activation' and struggled with mental health. Dorfman dismissed the request.^[6]
• In his address to the court, DePape claimed that his government-appointed lawyers had been conspiring against him. The life without parole sentence on state charges will be served concurrently with his 30-year federal sentence.^[7][8]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]NBC, ^[3]CBS, ^[4]Breitbart, ^[5]NPR Online News, ^[6]Newsweek, ^[7]CNN and ^[8]FOX News.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Representative Nancy Pelosi. Having given in to the allure of right-wing conspiracy theories, it's time DePape is held accountable. This verdict recognizes the seriousness of his crime, gives the Pelosi family some measure of legal justice, and sends a message to those who utilize hatred to intimidate or stifle elected leaders. Political violence will not be normalized, tolerated, minimized, or condoned in the US.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Western Journal. It is wrong to suggest the actions of DePape were politically motivated. Addicted to drugs, mentally unstable, and homeless, DePape was clearly not in his right mind, nor had he been for a long time. Any attempts to link his behavior to Donald Trump or his MAGA supporters are wildly inappropriate.
• Narrative C, as provided by CBC. While the gravity of DePape's actions must not be lessened, Dorfman should have handed down a more lenient sentence. DePape is a mentally vulnerable individual who led a crime-free life before falling into a rabbit hole of conspiracies. Besides, his dual convictions raise questions of double jeopardy — a person can't be prosecuted for the same crime twice.