Lawyers for Pelosi attacker ask for more time to examine new evidence

English

Lawyers for a man accused of assaulting Nancy Pelosi’s husband asked a federal judge on Wednesday to give him more time to review piles of new evidence, including forensic images from electronic devices and thousands of other documents released by the government.

David DePape, who was also given a computer to view these documents in a San Francisco prison, is accused by state and federal prosecutors of hitting 87-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer on October 28 at his San Francisco home.

As the cases move through the courts, new details continue to emerge from court documents and statements made to the press by DePape about his lack of remorse over what prosecutors characterize as a plot fueled by a conspiracy.

The federal case accuses DePape of attempting to kidnap a federal officer or employee and assault the next of kin of a federal official. Meanwhile, the charges in the San Francisco Supreme Court case include attempted murder, first-degree burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threats against a government official’s family member. He is scheduled to appear in state court on February 23.

In both cases, he pleaded not guilty.

New details emerge

Police camera footage of the alleged attack was released in late January after a group of news organizations won a lawsuit against DePape’s attorney and the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.

The video shows what the police saw when they arrived at the door of Pelosi’s house.

On the same day the footage was released, DePape made a pompous statement to KTVU, telling a local TV station that he was targeting Pelosis because he believed the former Speaker of the House had endangered people’s personal freedoms.

“The people who are killing him (individual freedoms) have names and addresses, so I got their names and addresses so that I can pay them a little visit… to talk heart to heart about their bad behavior,” he told the TV channel.

DePape seemed unapologetic in the phone call and even told a reporter that he didn’t go far enough.

“I want to apologize to everyone,” he said during a call to the prison. “I messed up. What I did was really bad. I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them. It’s my fault. It’s nobody else’s fault. I should have come better prepared.”

The date for DePape’s next federal trial has been set for March 15.

English