David DePape, the man convicted of a brutal gavel attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, at the couple's California home, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
DePape was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years on one count and 20 years on a second, to be served concurrently. DePape gave no reaction when the judge read his sentence. A victim impact statement was read in court by Christine Pelosi, the couple's daughter.
Rep. Pelosi is in Washington, D.C. and did not attend the sentencing. The Pelosi family released a brief statement after the sentencing.
“The Pelosi family could not be more proud of their father and his immense courage for saving his life the night of the attack and for testifying in this matter. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all those who have sent love and prayers over the past eighteen months as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery,” the statement said.
DOJ SEEKS 40-YEAR SENTENCE FOR PAUL PELOSI'S HAMMER ATTACKER, DAVID DEPAPE, FOR 'REINFORCEMENT OF TERRORISM'
(Left) Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the pre-GRAMMY gala. (Right) David DePape. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle)
DePape was convicted last year of attempting to kidnap a federal official and assaulting a member of a federal official's immediate family. Prosecutors had asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley for a 40-year prison sentence.
The attack on Paul Pelosi, then 82, was captured on police body camera just days before the 2022 midterm elections.
DePape admitted during his trial testimony that he broke into the Pelosi home on October 28, 2022, with the intention of holding the then-Speaker hostage and “break his kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up at the San Francisco home, saying his plan to end what he saw as government corruption was falling apart .
Defense attorneys said DePape was motivated by his political beliefs and caught up in conspiracy theories.
Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the October 2022 incident.
PAUL PELOSI, ATTACK SUSPECT, DAVID DEPAPE, FOUND GUILTY IN FEDERAL TRIAL
A courtroom sketch depicts the trial of David DePape in federal court in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. DePape testifies while being shown the gavel used in the alleged attack on Paul Pelosi. (Vicki Behringer)
From custody, DePape called the KTVU newsroom. In the call that also took place during the trial, he said he had “an important message for everyone in America: You're welcome.”
Prosecutors said a hospital medical exam showed Paul Pelosi “suffered two skull fractures that required emergency repair, as well as an injury to his arm and hand, which were also treated surgically by specialized surgeons.
DAVID DEPAPE CRYS ON THE STAND, APOLOGIZES TO PAUL PELOSI FOR HAMMER ATTACK
At trial, “a neurosurgeon who performed the surgeries testified that one of the skull fractures narrowly missed a vein that, if lacerated, would have caused life-threatening blood loss,” the motion states. .
Paul Pelosi also testified at the trial, recounting how he was awakened in the middle of the night by a tall man bursting into his room and asking, “Where's Nancy?” Pelosi said that when he told the man his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie her up while they waited for him.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It was a huge shock to recognize that someone had broken into the house, and looking at him, looking at the hammer and the zip ties, I realized I was in great danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Pelosi told jurors.
DePape also faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other crimes. Jury selection for that trial is scheduled to begin May 22.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.