Judge in Paul Pelosi attack case to reopen sentencing hearing

The federal judge who oversaw the sentencing of a man that attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband will reopen the sentencing hearing after the court failed to hear from the attacker, who was convicted last year.

Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at his home in San Francisco in 2022. The former speaker was the intended target of the home invasion, but she was not home at the time and the assailant, David DePape, attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer instead. DePape said he had gone to her house to talk about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week for the attack, and another 20 years for attempting to kidnap the Californian. But both sentences will be served simultaneously, and DePape will receive credit for the 18 months he has already served.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who determined the sentence, admitted in a filing over the weekend that the court did not hear from DePape when it came to his sentencing. He had previously expressed remorse for hurting Paul Pelosi, because he was not the intended target. The new sentencing hearing will take place on May 28, 2024.

"It was the Court’s responsibility to personally ask Mr. Depape if he wanted to speak, as the Court did not do so, it committed clear error," Corley said in her Saturday filing. "The Court will reopen the sentencing to permit Mr. Depape to speak should he wish. The Court will withhold entry of the Judgment and Commitment in the interim."

Paul Pelosi recently spoke out about the head injuries he received in the hammer attack, stating that he has bumps on his head from the hammer, a metal plate in his head, and still experiences dizzy spells.

“It has taken many months to reclaim my home and well-being. Even so, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats," Paul Pelosi wrote in a victim statement to Corley, according to The Hill. “I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the vicious assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent the law provides."

The 30-year sentence was lower than the 40-year maximum sentence that the law allows, which prosecutors had sought.