David Depape, Paul Pelosi Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
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David Depape was identified as the suspect accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer in the couple’s home, leaving him with serious blunt-force trauma.
Police have confirmed the suspect’s name. David Depape is a Berkeley resident. What are Depape’s politics and was he on social media? On a blog and website, he was fixated on censorship and made anti-Semitic comments. In one post, he ranted about government attempts to control information, calling for the arrest of journalists from prominent news organizations. Online records give Depape’s age as 42.
After receiving a call in the early morning hours of October 28, 2022, San Francisco police officers encountered an “adult male and Mr. Pelosi’s husband, Paul” in the Pelosi home, authorities said in a news conference. Both were holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Paul Pelosi and violently attacked him with it. Officers then arrested Depape, police said in a news conference. The motive is still being determined, according to police. He is being booked on attempted homicide, elderly abuse, burglary, and other charges.
An older picture of Depape emerged alongside a prominent Berkeley nudist activist with whom he has children:
On a WordPress blog, Depape ranted about censorship by the “elites” and “ruling class.” He also appears to have a website that reads “da Jews.” Sixteen hours ago, he posted the headline, “Why Colleges are becoming Cults.” He ranted about movies, writing, “The critics are f****** commie gate keepers. They love the sh******* movies ever as long as those movies are sh**** because they where…” You can read more about the suspect’s writings later in this article.
Some of his posts referred to former President Donald Trump. “Either Q is Trump himself or Q is the deepstate moles within Trumps inner circle. So Q/Trump sabotaged their child trafficking operations. #2 self inflicted wound. Trumps covert id or a Deep state mole? Was Q refering to this? Did Q do this? another video,” he wrote, referring to QAnon.
In another post, he wrote, “The more Ukrainians die NEEDLESSLY the cheaper the land will be for Jews to buy up.” His website has posts on pedophiles, aliens, COVID, Communism, what he called “climate hysteria” and more. It is filled with conspiracy theories and other ramblings.
His name was also given as David DePape, with different capitalization.
Dramatic accounts emerged indicating that the suspect was specifically looking for Nancy Pelosi when he encountered her husband in the couple’s home.
“Suspect who authorities say attacked Paul Pelosi shouted ‘Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?’ before the ‘violent assault,'” according to CNN anchor Victor Blackwell.
The suspect specifically targeted the Pelosi house, the Associated Press confirmed.
The Speaker’s spokesman first revealed the assault in a Friday morning statement. Paul Pelosi was undergoing brain surgery later in the day.
The statement by Drew Hammill, spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, calls the attack a “violent assault.” According to the Associated Press, Pelosi, 82, “suffered blunt force trauma to his head and body,” that left him with “bruising, severe swelling and other injuries.”
Nancy Pelosi was not at the home when the attack occurred.
KTVU-TV reported, “UPDATE: @SpeakerPelosi was w/her protective detail in DC when husband Paul Pelosi, 82, was assaulted during 2:30 a.m. break-in at their home in SF’s Pacific Heights.” The television station reported that Capitol Police are working with the FBI and the San Francisco Police Department.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. David Depape Is a ‘Former Castro Nudist Protester’ & Hemp ‘Jewelry Maker,’ Reports Say
Joe Eskenazi, of Mission Local, tweeted, “My sources also name the suspect in this morning’s hammer attack on Paul Pelosi as David DePape, born 1980, of Berkeley. He would appear to be a former Castro nudist protester. Things appear set to be bizarre for a while.”
The Castro is a well-known neighborhood in San Francisco.
A 2013 article in the San Francisco Chronicle mentions Depape, although his name is spelled wrong. It describes him as a “hemp jewelry maker.” That article reported that Depape was the best man at the naked wedding of a well-known pro-nudity activist named Gypsy Taub.
In a few posts on his website, Depape mentioned Trump. Depape wrote on his website, “I guess this is as good a time as any. Trump you NEEEEEEEED to make Tulsi your VP in 2024. Of the ENTIRE democrat presidential candidates in 2020. She was th only democrat candidate who WASN’T running on a platform of being an insane mentally unwell demagogue.”…Having Tulsy as your vp bridges the insane partisan divide.”
He also posted about Kanye West, writing, “Ya I remeber the backlash and insults when you came out in support of Trump.”
He wrote, “Trump ‘Just drink Bleach’ So first off this was an extremely manipulate way of spinning what he actually Trump said ‘drink bleach.’ This isn’t an isolate incident either.”
Depape also weighed in on George Floyd, writing, “Lets get into George Floyd before I forget. What’s the difference between justice and a lynching. Justice is based upon evidence. While lynchings are based upon optics.” He claimed that Floyd was not killed by Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee, writing, “The autopsy showed a FATAL level of fentynal in his system and that he had died of a heart attack consistent with the symptoms he was exhibiting prior to being placed on the ground.”
He added: “The only person who is owed damages is Derek Chauvin.” Searches of the website for Pelosi, Clinton, and Obama did not turn up results.
2. Depape Has Three Children With Taub, a Russian-Born Activist Who Is Now a Homeless Youth Director, Old Newspaper Articles Reveal
A 2008 article in the Oakland Tribune, accessed via Newspapers.com, reported that David Depape and Gypsy Taub have three children together. Instead of cooking Thanksgiving dinner in their Berkeley home, they “chose to join 350 others at the Two Star Market for a community meal,” the article stated.
“We like to meet our neighbors,” Taub, a pro nudity activist, told the newspaper.
Despite her naked wedding to someone else, the Daily Beast reported that Depape still lived with Taub. The site reported that he also posted COVID conspiracy theories on YouTube.
Taub’s Facebook page says she is from Moscow, Russia, and is “the homeless youth director at Jerry Garcia Family Healing Clinic.” There is no indication that Taub has any connection to the Paul Pelosi attack; the inclusion of her name in this story is meant to flesh out the bio of Depape. Taub has told the media she believes 9/11 was an inside job, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
In 2013, in an article on Indy Bay.org, Taub mentioned Depape as a photographer at a nudity ban protest in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.
3. David Depape Wrote a Blog Called ‘Welcome to Big Brothers Censorship Hell’
On a WordPress blog, Depape ranted about censorship. “Welcome to Big Brothers Censorship hell,” it reads.
The blog says:
The reason we have a first amendment is because censorship only applies to you. The elites/ruling class never censor themselves. You can still turn on any mainstream news channel to hear day and night the narrative put forth by the people who rule you. The founding father built in protection against censorship coming from the goverment because they never imagined a day when Tech giants and private industry would be so powerful they could single handedly silence the people.
The blog contains numerous black graphics with the word “censorship” stamped in them.
He also posted about what the government “disinformation board,” although he misspelled the word.
“3:32 They intervene when the disinfo becomes a THREAT to national security. I would say that the steele dosier was disinfo that was a threat to national security. Why didn’t they arrest the staff of cnn, new york times, washington post and msnbc for their DANGEROUS disniformation?” his website post reads, filled with typos.
“Instead they actually PASSED a bill to SPEND millions of tax payer dollars FUNDING the disinfomation.”
4. Depape Is Accusing of Entering the Pelosi Home Through a Sliding Glass Door, Looking for Nancy Pelosi, Reports Say
According to ABC’s Terry Moran, “The suspect allegedly entered the house through a sliding glass door, carrying a hammer, and was apparently looking for the House Speaker herself.” Paul Pelosi’s injuries were described as “significant” by Moran.
San Francisco police tweeted, “On 10/28/22, at 2:27 am, SFPD responded to the 2600 block of Broadway for a home break-in. During the incident an 82 y/o male was attacked. The suspect was taken into custody. The victim was transported to a local hospital. SFPD Chief Scott will address the media at police HQ.”
“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi. The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation,” it reads.
The motive, including whether the assault was politically related, is not yet clear.
In a statement, the U.S. Capitol Police wrote:
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation into a break-in at the California home of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker was in Washington, D.C. with her protective detail at the time of the overnight, break-in. During the California break-in, the Speaker’s husband was assaulted, but he is now recovering. The San Francisco Police Department has the suspect in custody. The motivation for the attack is still under investigation. Special Agents with the USCP’s California Field Office quickly arrived on scene, while a team of investigators from the Department’s Threat Assessment Section was simultaneously dispatched from the East Coast to assist the FBI and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation.
5. Paul Pelosi Was ‘Taken to the Hospital’ But Is Expected to Recover
According to the statement, Paul Pelosi is expected to recover, but he was hospitalized due to the attack.
“Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical are and is expected to make a full recovery. The Speaker was not in San Francisco at the time.”
The statement added: “The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time.”
News of the attack broke in the early morning of October 28, 2022.
According to CNN, there is not government security at the Pelosi residence when she is not there.
Paul Pelosi is a successful businessman with a very high net worth.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Paul Pelosi “has a net worth of $120 million.”
The site says that Pelosi “is best known for owning and operating the San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm Financial Leasing Services.”
He once owned a United Football League team. He “sits on many corporate and philanthropic boards and owns large stakes in companies like Facebook, Apple, Comcast and Disney,” Celebrity Net Worth reported.
According to his IMDb profile, Paul Pelosi was born on April 15, 1940 in San Francisco, California.
“He has been married to Nancy Pelosi since September 7, 1963,” the site reports.
Paul Pelosi has been in the news recently because of a drunk driving arrest.
According to the Associated Press, the Speaker’s husband pleaded guilty in August 2022 “to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California’s wine country.”
He received a five-day jail term and probation, AP reported.
According to AP, authorities “found Pelosi in the driver’s seat of a 2021 Porsche Carrera and the other driver standing outside a sport utility vehicle.”