(San Francisco) The man who assaulted the husband of Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi with a hammer in late October, hoping to go after her, described a “pretty friendly” incident to investigators, according to a recording reported Wednesday by several American media.
Prosecuted among other things for attempted murder, David DePape appeared before a court in San Francisco, during a preliminary hearing which must determine whether he should be the subject of a trial, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Facing the judge, the prosecutor broadcast several parts of an interrogation conducted by the police just after the attack on Paul Pelosi, when the suspect was still in the hospital.
The 42-year-old Canadian, a former nudist activist and follower of conspiracy theories on social networks, then described his intrusion into the Pelosi home in San Francisco, which he said took place in a rather cordial atmosphere, until the attack. .
“I had threatened him once or twice, but overall it was quite friendly,” said the suspect during this interrogation, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Facing the police, however, he admitted to having hit Paul Pelosi “with all (his) strength” with the hammer.
Equipped in particular with a rope, pairs of gloves and adhesive tape, the suspect initially targeted Nancy Pelosi, a few days before the American mid-term elections. He planned to “break the kneecaps” of the parliamentarian if she did not confess the “lies” of the Democratic camp, according to the investigation.
But the leader of the Democrats in Congress was in Washington that day. Before having his skull fractured, her husband Paul Pelosi, 82, had time to call the 911 emergency number.
US authorities believe the suspect intended to kidnap Mr.me Pelosi, second character in the protocol order after Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden in the event of force majeure.
Mr. DePape also assured during the interrogation that he wanted to attack other American figures, in particular the governor of California Gavin Newsom, the son of the president, Hunter Biden, and the actor Tom Hanks, indicated during the hearing a policewoman.
She did not say whether the police had been able to establish that the suspect already had concrete plans for this purpose, according to the local channel KRON4, which reported her testimony.
In the event of a trial, the suspect faces a sentence of up to life, according to the attorney general of San Francisco. He is also being prosecuted separately by federal justice.
Mid-November Nancy Pelosi announced that she would renounce the post of leader of the Democrats in the future House of Representatives, where the Republicans obtained the majority.
At the beginning of November, she explained that the full recovery of her husband, who was operated on and spent a week in hospital, “will be long”.