SAN FRANCISCO — A jury on Thursday convicted the person who broke into former U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco house in search of to take her hostage and attacked her husband with a hammer on federal expenses of tried kidnapping and assault.

The jury deliberated for roughly eight hours earlier than convicting David DePape of tried kidnapping of a federal official and assault of a member of a federal official’s speedy household. He faces as much as 50 years in jail.

The assault on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, which was captured on police video simply days earlier than final 12 months’s midterm elections, despatched shockwaves via the political world.

DePape, 43, admitted throughout his trial testimony that he broke into Pelosi’s house on October 28, 2022, with the intention of holding Nancy Pelosi hostage and “breaking her knees” if she lied to him. He additionally admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi with a hammer after San Francisco law enforcement officials arrived on the home, saying his plan to finish what he noticed as authorities corruption was falling aside.

Protection lawyer Angela Chuang advised the jury throughout closing arguments that Debab was concerned in a conspiracy. She mentioned he was motivated by his political opinions, not as a result of he needed to intervene with Nancy Pelosi’s official duties as a member of Congress, making the costs in opposition to him invalid.

Throughout her response, Prosecutor Helen Gilbert mentioned the protection had incorrectly distinguished between California Democrat politics and official duties and that Debabe didn’t differentiate between the 2.

Debab, a Canadian citizen who moved to the USA greater than 20 years in the past, can also be charged in state courtroom with assault with a lethal weapon, elder abuse, residential housebreaking and different felonies. A trial date can be set within the state throughout a listening to on Nov. 29, mentioned Randy Quezada, spokesman for the San Francisco District Legal professional’s Workplace.

Protection lawyer Jodi Linker mentioned DePape believed “with each fiber of his being” that he was taking motion to cease authorities corruption, the erosion of freedom in America, and the abuse of youngsters by liberal politicians and actors.

Throughout his testimony, Debab parroted right-wing conspiracy theories and advised jurors that he was planning to decorate up as an inflatable unicorn and report his questioning of Nancy Pelosi for importing to the Web. Prosecutors say he had rope and zip ties with him. Investigators additionally discovered physique cameras, a pc and a pill.

DePape testified that his plan was to get Nancy Pelosi to confess that she was mendacity to the American folks. He mentioned: “If she lies, I’ll break her knees.” “The selection is on her.”

He mentioned he would then transfer on to different targets, together with a ladies’s and LGBT research professor who testified on the trial, California Governor Gavin Newsom, actor Tom Hanks, and President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.

Paul Pelosi additionally testified, recalling how he was woke up by a big man who burst via the bed room door and requested, “The place’s Nancy?” He mentioned that when he replied that his spouse was in Washington, Dieppe mentioned he would restrain him whereas he waited for her.

“It was an enormous feeling of shock once I realized somebody had damaged into the home and I checked out it and I regarded on the hammer and the bands, and I noticed I used to be in grave hazard, so I attempted to remain as calm as attainable.” Pelosi advised jurors.

Pelosi recounted how he was capable of name 911 beneath DePape’s surveillance, urging Pelosi to inform police he was a good friend. Pelosi mentioned he tried to inform police what was occurring with out angering Dieppe.

Pelosi recalled being grateful when the police arrived, however then DiPepe hit him with the hammer. He mentioned he wakened in a pool of his personal blood.

Greater than a 12 months after the assault, Pelosi mentioned, he nonetheless has not totally recovered. The neurosurgeon who operated on him testified that Pelosi suffered accidents to his head, together with a fracture to his cranium that needed to be repaired with plates and screws that he’ll undergo from for the remainder of his life. Pelosi additionally wanted stitches for accidents to his proper arm and hand, the surgeon mentioned.

DePape testified that he thought Paul Pelosi was useless till he noticed that San Francisco prosecutors had charged him with tried homicide.

“He was by no means my aim and I am sorry he received damage,” Debape mentioned.

He advised jurors he believed the media repeatedly lied about former President Donald Trump. In his rant posted on a weblog and on-line discussion board that had been deleted after his arrest, Dibab echoed the baseless right-wing QAnon conspiracy idea that claims the US authorities is run by a cabal of Devil-worshipping pedophiles. He repeated QAnon-like conspiracies throughout his testimony, referring to a gang and the ruling elite that he mentioned undermine the liberty of Individuals and allow youngster abuse.