David DePape was listening in on the 911 phone call secretly made by Paul Pelosi to alert cops about his situation, but he didn't leave as he wanted to fight and not surrender. DePape, who attacked Pelosi with a hammer after breaking into their San Francisco home on Thursday, knew that police were arriving and that he would soon be arrested.
On Monday, authorities in California officially charged DePape, 42, with attempted murder as well as other felonies in connection with Friday's hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that Paul Pelosi "is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process."
Living with Strange Ideologies
DePape told investigators over the weekend that his intended target was Nancy Pelosi but he ended up brutally attacking Paul Pelosi after not being able to find the House Speaker. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins made the unequivocal claim that the attack was "politically motivated" during a press conference on Monday.
Jenkins also expressed her conviction that DePape meant to kill Paul Pelosi during the attack. "What is clear based on the evidence that we have thus far is that this house, and the speaker herself, were specifically targets of the defendant," Jenkins told the media.
Jenkins told that DePape during questioning told investigators that Paul Pelosi was sleeping in a loose-fitting pajama shirt and pair of boxers when he broke into their home.
Paul Pelosi was awoken by DePape around 2:30 am. The struggle began after that as DePape attacked Pelosi with a hammer. During the struggle, Paul Pelosi once attempted to escape into an elevator so he could call 911.
However, that avenue was closed off to him and Paul Pelosi eventually managed to escape to a bathroom for a few seconds and called 911 to alert the police.
Although Paul Pelosi made the call secretly, DePape realized that police were being informed. In fact, he was listening in on the phone call and knew that police would arrive soon, according to FBI investigators but didn't flee the scene.
He told investigators that "he did not leave after Pelosi'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."
Multiple Charges Slapped on DePape
DePape also told investigators that after waking up Paul Pelosi and then attacking him, he planned to wait for Nancy Pelosi to return home. He allegedly told investigators that if she "lied" to him, he planned to "kneecap her" and have her "wheeled into Congress, showing other Members there were consequences to actions."
When he stormed into the couple's San Francisco home, the suspect allegedly had zip ties on him and was yelling, "Where's Nancy?"
DePape has been slapped with multiple charges. These include elder abuse, false confinement of an elderly, assault with a deadly weapon, and domestic burglary. If convicted of all the charges, DePape might spend the rest of his life in prison. Jenkins stated that a motion to hold DePape in detention without bail will be submitted by her office.
"One last thing that I want to say today is that as leaders and as citizens, it is incumbent upon us all, to watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric," Jenkins said.
According to the criminal complaint, a day after the assault, detectives tracked DePape to a residence on Shasta Road in Richmond, California, about 18 miles north of San Francisco Malcolm Lubliner, a well-known Bay Area photographer, is the owner of the property, and also functioned as DePape's landlord. DePape spent two years residing at the address.
Investigators claimed to have discovered other hammers, a sword, and several pairs of gloves inside the house.
Since the 1960s, Lubliner has been a mainstay of the California art scene. His works have been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has taken pictures of famous Americans including Janis Joplin and Jasper Johns.
Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi said Paul Pelosi "is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process."
"Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes," the statement said. "Our family thanks everyone for their kindness."
DePape, who is already in custody, is scheduled to appear in court on various state counts. He would be charged with attempted murder, first-degree burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with significant bodily injury, elder abuse, and threatening a public official or family member, among other offences, according to San Francisco police.
