Suspect’s lawyers face an « uphill battle » by trying to claim he’s not guilty of federal crimes according to a legal definition of the offense, an expert says.
A legal expert has poured scorn on the defense put forward by the man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer at the home the frail 82-year-old shares with his wife, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
David DePape, 43, stands accused of forcing his way into the couple’s San Francisco home in California and brutally bludgeoning elderly businessman Paul Pelosi over the head on the night of October 28 last year. Officials say DePape had intended to abduct Democrat politician Nancy Pelosi and hold her hostage, but she was away in Washington at the time. The hammer blow, captured on camera by police who arrived at the scene during the altercation, fractured Paul Pelosi’s skull and left him lying in a pool of blood. He was hospitalized for almost a week after undergoing emergency surgery, with a long road to recovery remaining ahead.
The attack made international headlines and shocked the world while the U.S. was left reeling, and politicians across the political spectrum were horrified. But the incident still reverberates today, amid warnings of political disinformation and radicalization easily spreading online, while critics continue to accuse former Republican President Donald Trump of fanning the flames of violence against his political opponents; something Trump has always denied.
The federal case was presented to a San Francisco jury on Thursday and DePape pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
