Daniel DePape, the man accused of viciously attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after breaking into their San Francisco home last week, told police he was on a “suicide mission,” according to a new court filing obtained by the Associated Press.
The 42-year-old had a plea of not guilty to all charges entered on his behalf in a state arraignment earlier on Tuesday. DePape appeared in court with one of his arms in a sling, having dislocated it during his early Friday arrest, his public defender, Adam Lipson, told the AP.
The documents—filed by prosecutors with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office—also detailed how DePape had allegedly had plans to target other local and federal officials, as well as their family members. In an attempt to keep DePape in custody, prosecutors described how his alleged victim, 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, had been knocked unconscious in the attack, waking up in a pool of his own blood.
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The prosecution’s bid was successful, with a judge ordering DePape held without bail.
The Pelosi family had requested a Zoom link to the hearing, according to the AP, but did not receive it in time to watch the proceedings. After undergoing surgery for a fractured skull and serious injuries to his hands and right arm, Paul Pelosi is expected to make a full recovery, although he remained hospitalized on Tuesday.
Lipson, DePape’s attorney, promised a “comprehensive investigation of what happened.” He told the AP he had met his client for the first time on Monday night and would be “looking into” his mental state in the near future. In the meantime, he asked the public to refrain from passing judgment on what he called “a complicated situation.”
After the arraignment hearing, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told reporters her office wouldn’t be releasing police bodycam footage or audio of the 911 call made by Paul Pelosi, unless DePape’s trial necessitated it.
Jenkins’ office charged DePape on Monday with an array of crimes: attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, as well as threats to a public official and their family. If convicted, he faces 13 years to life behind bars, according to the district attorney.
The state indictment was announced hours after federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping were issued against DePape, both carrying prospective sentences of decades more in prison.
Nancy Pelosi had been in Washington when DePape allegedly broke into her home around 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning. He woke a sleeping Paul Pelosi up, reportedly demanding to know where “Nancy” was. Police were summoned to the residence after Pelosi was able to slip away to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, and alert an emergency dispatcher.
DePape allegedly swung a hammer at the speaker’s husband as two officers entered the Pelosis’ house to find the pair grappling over the weapon. Pelosi collapsed, and DePape was restrained. Investigators later found zip ties among a number of other items he had carried with him into the home, they said.
His “suicide mission” was previously outlined by investigators, who said Monday that DePape had wanted to take Speaker Pelosi hostage, talk to her, and break “her kneecaps” if she “lied” to him.
Police had not released a precise motive as of Tuesday, but have said they believe the attack to have been political. A Daily Beast investigation into DePape’s online presence revealed a man in free fall down a rabbit hole of far-right conspiracy theories and hateful vitriol about women and Jews.
A man who employed DePape at a lumber store told The New York Times on Tuesday that “it was all over” if you got him talking about politics. “Because he really believed in the whole MAGA, ‘Pizzagate,’ stolen election—you know, all of it, all the way down the line,” Frank Ciccarelli said. “If you go to Fox News, if you go on the internet and you look at QAnon, you know, he had all these theories.”
Ciccarelli added that he had known DePape to be a hardworking, easygoing guy transformed by increasing isolation. “He was completely caught up in the fantasy, in the MAGA fantasy,” he said.
DePape is set to return to court on Friday.
