Ex of alleged Pelosi attacker says he is 'mentally ill,' thought he was Jesus: report

Nudist activist Oxane "Gypsy" Taub, the former partner of the man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, on Sunday said suspect David DePape is "mentally ill" and once came home after an extended disappearance thinking he was Jesus.

Taub called local outlet ABC7 from the California Institution For Women in Corona, and said she was "the ex-life partner of David DePape and the mother of his children."

DePape allegedly broke into the Speaker's San Francisco home early Friday morning and brutally attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer.

Taub, who was found guilty last year on 20 counts including a kidnapping attempt, said DePape "has been mentally ill for a long time."

She said she met DePape more than 20 years ago and they raised their two sons and her daughter together until about seven years ago. Taub spoke with ABC7 nearly a decade ago about her nudist activism.

She said DePape "was very much in alignment with my views and I've always been very progressive."

DePape disappeared for a year on one occasion, Taub said. 

"He came back in very bad shape. He thought he was Jesus. He was constantly paranoid, thinking people were after him," she said. "And it took a good year or two to get back to, you know, being halfway normal."

"I absolutely admire Nancy Pelosi," Taub said. "I would like to express my deepest apology to Nancy Pelosi and her husband for the terrible tragic thing that happened."