Judge to reopen sentencing hearing for man who attacked Pelosi’s husband

A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man convicted of assaulting Paul Pelosi after the judge did not let him speak during last week’s sentencing hearing.

The decision comes just days after Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison for breaking into Pelosi’s California home.

DePape was convicted of attacking the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and was also sentenced to 20 years for attempting to kidnap Pelosi.

The two sentences will run concurrently and DePape will receive credit for the 18 months he has already served.

On a filing on the weekend, Corley said there was a “clear error” after she did not allow DePape to speak during Friday’s hearing. A new hearing was scheduled for May 28.

Although neither federal prosecutors nor DePape’s defense team mentioned Corley’s error at the hearing, prosecutors presented a motion hours later, stating that the court did not give DePape the opportunity to “speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence,” in violation of a federal rule.

Prosecutors asked the court to reopen the sentencing hearing, noting the court has 14 days to amend the sentence.

Prosecutors noted, however, that DePape’s defense team filed an appeal shortly after Friday’s sentencing and opposed the motion to bring him back to court.

The Hill has reached out to prosecutors and DePape’s attorney for comment.

DePape, 44, was convicted last year of the 2022 assault in which he attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer.

In court last fall, he apologized for his actions.

He told the court he went to the couple’s home to talk to the former House speaker about alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 election and that he planned to wear a costume and post her interrogation online.

DePape told police last year that he believed there was “evil in Washington” and that he intended to harm Pelosi because she was second in line to the presidency, according toan AP reportciting a San Francisco police investigator.

He said he felt sick after hearing testimony from a neurosurgeon who operated on Pelosi after the attack and described Pelosi’s injuries on the stand.

“He was never my target and I’m sorry he got hurt,” DePape said at the time.

The Justice Department was seeking a 40-year sentence for DePape, demanding maximum sentences for the charges.

Before DePape was sentenced last week, Paul Pelosi detailed the challenges he faced following the incident in a document sent to Corley.

“My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair has grown back – but I have bumps on my head from hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away,” Pelosi wrote to Corley. “It took many months to recover my home and my well-being. Still, we don’t answer our landline or our door due to ongoing threats.”

“I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the cruel attack on my life and the ongoing physical and mental harm caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent provided by law,” he added in an impact statement of the victim. filed last Friday.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story