The man on trial for beating Paul Pelosi in his San Francisco home with a hammer really believed he was trying to save the world from a secret cabal of high-profile pedophiles, his defense attorney told a San Francisco court Thursday.
At the opening of David DePape’s federal trial, his legal team said they would not dispute that he hit Pelosi — an incident caught on police body cameras — but they would explain that he was driven by internet conspiracy theories propagated by the “liberal ruling class.” . lies and abused children.
Defense lawyer Jodi Linker told the jury: “This is not a ‘whodunnit’, but what the government has failed to acknowledge is a ‘why-dunnit’. And why it matters. Because what makes this a federal case.”
DePape faces two charges; attempted kidnapping of federal officials and attacks on immediate family members of federal officials in retaliation for the performance of their duties.
Linker said the defense will show DePape’s decision to break into Pelosi’s home had nothing to do with Nancy Pelosi’s top position in Congress at the time, but was instead part of a larger plan to attack a list of people on grounds based on a baseless conspiracy she concocted. have read.
A still image from video recorded by cameras worn by San Francisco Police shows suspect David DePape (L) attacking Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at their home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022. San Francisco Police Department/AFP via Getty Images David DePape is shown in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 13. 2013. DePape faces multiple charges, including attempted kidnapping of a federal official. AP In this file photo taken on April 23, 2019, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and husband Paul Pelosi arrive for the Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center in New York. AFP via Getty Images David DePape, center, records Gypsy Taub being led away by police after her nude wedding outside City Hall on December 19, 2013, in San Francisco. DePape is known in Berkeley, California as a pro-nudity activist, who picketed naked during protests against a local ordinance requiring people to dress in public.AP
Giving an example of an easily debunked falsehood DePape apparently believed after reading it on the fringes of the internet, Linker explained: “Tom Hanks, the actor, raped a 13-year-old girl. [Calif. rep] Adam Schiff abused children.”
He also detailed how DePape felt “Nancy Pelosi is a culture warrior, the face of the Democratic Party. Her armory is the Democratic National Committee and her weapon is the mainstream media.
“Members of the jury, many of us do not believe all of that. You may think it’s all lies, but the evidence in this trial will show that Mr. DePape believed all of these things… with every ounce of his being.”
Linker said the defense will show DePape’s decision to break into Pelosi’s home had nothing to do with Nancy Pelosi’s highest position in Congress at the time.Getty Images for Paramount+
DePape has posted rants on blogs and online forums about subjects including aliens, communists, religious minorities and global elites.
He also repeated the baseless right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that claims the US government is run by a satan-worshipping pedophile.
Delivering their opening statements, prosecutors said DePape, 43, broke into the home shortly after 2 a.m., but found only Paul Pelosi since Nancy was in Washington DC.
Paul Pelosi managed to call 911 and told the dispatcher, “This guy just came in the house and wanted to wait here until my wife got home and, anyway, he told me to hang up.”
Images from San Francisco Police Department body-worn camera video capture DePape holding the hammer, which he allegedly used to attack Paul Pelosi, 83, inside his home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022. San Francisco Police Department/AFP via Getty Images
Two San Francisco Police officers answered the call, and when Paul Pelosi answered the door, DePape attacked the 83-year-old man with a hammer.
During her opening statement, federal prosecutor Laura Vartain Horn held up the hammer— which was zipped up in a plastic bag— in front of the jury.
The attack was caught on camera worn by police. Jurors on Thursday were shown a photo of Paul Pelosi lying in his own blood, according to KQED.
Horn also showed jurors a “fact sheet,” which he said contained details about Nancy Pelosi and her family, including various addresses retrieved by FBI investigators from DePape’s computer.
Police tape blocks the road outside the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi in San Francisco on Oct. 28. 2022. Speaker of the AP House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi leaves her home in San Francisco on November 4, 2022. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, is expected to testify in federal court this week.David G. McIntyre
Horn said FBI investigators also found a folder in the computer marked “favorite politicians” that had the names of other high-profile individuals DePape was also tracking.
In an interview with police, DePape admitted to attacking Paul Pelosi, telling the officer, “I’m not trying to get away with this. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
He told police he wanted to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecap because she had wronged “the entire American people” by “submitting false evidence to spying.” [Trump’s] rival campaign.”
Paul Pelosi arrives at a House Democratic rally on the East Steps of the US Capitol on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. Getty Images
DePape faces up to life in prison on two felony charges, including attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assaulting a federal official’s immediate family member.
Paul Pelosi, who suffered a fracture to his skull as a result of the attack, is expected to testify during the federal trial.
DePape also faces charges of attempted murder in a separate state case. He has also pleaded not guilty to the charge.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
