During opening arguments at David DePape’s state trial in California on Wednesday, prosecutors displayed graphic images depicting the aftermath of the defendant's hammer attack on Paul Pelosi. DePape broke into the Pelosi home in October 2022 in an attempt to kidnap former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Prosecutor Sean Connolly showed the jurors a picture of blood pooled around Paul Pelosi’s head, as well as a photo of a large scar across the top of Pelosi's scalp. “His skull was crushed. Literally,” Connolly told the jury. In the footage of the attack, DePape struck Pelosi multiple times with the weapon. After he was arrested, officers and investigators learned of DePape’s larger plan: to go around the U.S., kidnapping politicians and exposing corruption, Courthouse News Service reports. In addition to Pelosi, DePape intended to expose George Soros, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, actor Tom Hanks, and numerous others he believed were involved in child molestation and other crimes.
Connolly told the jury that DePape’s defense team will likely bring up DePape’s mental health as an excuse for his actions, but argued that they should ignore it and hold him accountable for his actions. “A mental health diagnosis is not license to commit these kinds of crimes,” Connolly said, before adding that DePape admitted to investigators several times that he knew what he was doing. DePape is facing state charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse, among other charges. He was already found guilty of attempting to kidnap a federal official and assaulting the family member of a federal official in a brief November trial in San Francisco federal court. The judge in that case sentenced DePape to 30 years in prison Tuesday. If the jury finds DePape guilty in the state case, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Paul Pelosi is expected to testify on Friday.