Paul Pelosi attacker cries while addressing court at re-sentencing

The man who attacked the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer cried as he addressed the court at his re-sentencing on Tuesday, saying he felt “horribly” for what he did.

David DePape was re-sentenced to 30 years in prison after a judge in California determined the court made a “clear error” at his first sentencing on May 17 by not giving DePape the opportunity to speak before the sentence was handed down.

DePape Addresses the Court

When given the opportunity to speak at the re-sentencing, DePape apologized for breaking into the Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacking Paul, who was 82 at the time, vowing to “never do anything violent like that to anyone ever again.”

“I’m sorry for what I did, especially what I did to Paul Pelosi,” DePape said. “I should have never hurt him.”

While Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said she would consider DePape’s statement in her re-sentencing, she kept the original 30-year federal prison sentence intact.

What Happened During the Attack

DePape was convicted on federal charges of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official.

DePape broke into the Pelosi home on Oct. 28, 2022, demanding to see Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was then Speaker of the House. She was not home at the time, but DePape had a violent confrontation with her husband that was partially caught on the body camera of a police officer who responded to the break-in.

Paul Pelosi was hospitalized for multiple injuries following the attack. He underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands.

“[DePape] had a hammer in his right hand, and so I recognized that he saw the police, I turned and tried to put my hand on his hand on the hammer. And then he just pushed me aside and hit me on the head,” Paul recalled during testimony at DePape’s trial.

He said the only thing he remembers after that was waking up in a pool of blood and being loaded into an ambulance.

DePape is also facing charges at the state level, including attempted murder, residential burglary, seriously injuring an elder adult, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and threatening a public official’s family member. Opening statements in the state case are scheduled for Wednesday. If convicted, DePape would face another 13 years to life added to his sentence.