David DePape, who was convicted of attacking House Speaker Paul Pelosi with a hammer, was resentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday after a federal judge said he was “truly sorry” for not allowing him to speak at his first sentencing hearing.
DePape was remanded to U.S. District Court in San Francisco after Judge Jacqueline Scott Corey wrote in a filing that it was a “clear error” to not give DePape an opportunity to make a statement on May 17 before being sentenced, as required by law.
“I am truly sorry for my mistake,” Corey told DePape and his lawyer, but the 44-year-old broke down in tears as he read from a prepared statement.
DePape told the court he “deeply regrets the hurt he caused Ms. Pelosi” on the night of the hammer attack at the couple’s San Francisco home in October 2022, and said he “should have returned home once he realized Nancy Pelosi was not there.”
He also said Tuesday that “looking back, we can see that things didn’t go well.”
Depape was later sentenced to 30 years in prison.
US Attorney Ismail Ramsey previously said the sentence “reflects David Dapape’s lack of remorse and contrition for violently assaulting Ms. Pelosi.”
Pelosi’s family also released a short statement after the initial sentence was handed down.
“The Pelosi family could not be more proud of our father and his extraordinary bravery in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case. Speaker Pelosi and her family are deeply grateful to all of the people who have sent their love and prayers over the past 18 months as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery,” the statement read.
DePape was convicted last year of attempted kidnapping of a federal agent and assaulting a family member of a federal agent. Prosecutors had sought a 40-year sentence for Corey.
In a victim impact statement, Representative Paul Pelosi said his life has been “irreparably changed” since the attack.
During his trial testimony, DePape admitted that he broke into Pelosi’s home on Oct. 28, 2022, and held the then-speaker hostage with the intention of “breaking her kneecaps” if she lied. He also admitted to attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police arrived at his San Francisco home, saying his plans to end what he saw as corruption in government were unraveling.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Daniel Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
