A judge has dismissed several state-level charges against David DePape, the man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in their San Francisco home in 2022.
The dismissal came after DePape was convicted in federal court last month and sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
DePape’s public defenders argued that the state trial represented double jeopardy, as he had already been convicted in federal court for assaulting a federal official’s family member and attempting to kidnap a federal official.
Although the criminal counts in the state and federal cases were not identical, they stemmed from the same act.
The judge dismissed the state charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. However, DePape still faces charges of false imprisonment, residential burglary, threatening a family member of a public official, attempting to sway a witness, and aggravated kidnapping, which were not part of the federal trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
During his federal trial testimony, DePape admitted to planning to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, interrogate her, and “break her kneecaps” if she did not admit to what he claimed were lies about “Russiagate,” referring to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world.
Mr. Pelosi suffered two head wounds, including a skull fracture that required plates and screws, hardware that he will have for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured in the attack.
DePape’s federal sentence of 30 years will run concurrently with any potential punishment resulting from the state trial. After completing his sentence, he will likely be deported back to Canada.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.