Paul Pelosiwas never supposed to get hurt — but when he called the police on an intruder in his home, he brought punishment upon himself. This is whatDavid DePape, the 42-year-old suspect accused of attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer, allegedly told authorities following his arrest.
The complaint suggests that DePape entered the home with plans to hold the House speaker hostage, break her kneecaps if she did not cooperate, and use her to set an example to other Democratic lawmakers. The evidence comes from a taped interview with the suspect himself, in which he described his plans and actions to San Francisco police officers.
Nancy Pelosi.Chip Somodevilla/Getty
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One thing the intruder seemingly didn’t consider was whether Nancy, who spends much of her time working in Washington, D.C., would be home. She wasn’t, foiling his supposed plan and allegedly sparking chaos as he scrambled to figure out what to do about her husband, Paul, also 82.
Armed with twist ties, rope, tape and the hammer reportedly used to break through the home’s sliding glass door, DePape allegedly tried restraining Paul so that they could wait for Nancy to return — but Paul soon got away to the bathroom with a phone to dial 911.
“DePape explained that he did not leave after [Paul’s] call to 9-1-1 because, much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender,” the complaint reads.
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By the time officers responded to Paul’s suspicious call, in which he stated that a stranger had entered the home, the suspect and homeowner were allegedly struggling over a hammer. Officers say they asked the men to drop it, and that’s when DePape gained control and violently assaulted Paul.
The criminal complaint cites DePape as saying after the fact he had not planned to surrender and was willing to go “through” Paul. “DePape explained that [Paul’s] actions resulted in [Paul] ‘taking the punishment instead,'” it reads.
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Prior to receiving federal charges on Monday, DePape faced a slew of felony charges from the district attorney, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary, and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, according to county records. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges against him.
source: people.com
