Suspected of having savagely attacked the husband of the leader of the Democrats in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, with the hope of attacking her, David Depape pleaded not guilty on Tuesday 1er November, in the San Francisco court. The man appeared briefly in an orange prisoner’s outfit, before being placed in provisional detention by the prosecutor. He also told investigators that he wanted to attack other political figures, according to American justice.
This 42-year-old man broke into the couple’s home in San Francisco on Friday morning, where he violently attacked Paul Pelosi. During his attack, the suspect planned to “break the kneecaps” of the parliamentarian if she did not confess the ” lies “ of the Democratic camp, according to a federal court document.
Charged Monday by the US Department of Justice, he was already facing fifty years in prison for attempted kidnapping and murder. The prosecutor announced new charges at the local level, and not federal this time. He could be sentenced to life in prison, said Brooke Jenkins at a press conference on Tuesday. It was, considered the magistrate, an attack “politically motivated”.
David DePape has also been banned from all contact with Mr.me Pelosi or her husband, and come within 135 yards of their San Francisco home. He was remanded in custody.
Far-right conspiracy
The man had, in recent months, shared posts on social media claiming that the elections had been stolen or that the Covid-19 vaccines did not work. According to the daughter of one of his former companions, he had recently turned to far-right conspiracy.
Facing the press, his court-appointed lawyer, Adam Lipson, explained that he wanted ” assess [sa] Mental Health “. “There is a lot of speculation about Mr. Depape’s vulnerability to misinformation, and that’s definitely something we’ll be looking into”he added.
The attack, which occurred about ten days before the midterm elections, propelled disinformation and violence to the rank of campaign themes. In a speech on Friday evening, US President Joe Biden warned that misinformation could influence people who are not “not fully balanced”.