The man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer early Friday morning is a former nudist from British Columbia who has struggled with drugs and posted crazed right-wing conspiracy theories, anti-Semitic rants, racist slurs and unhinged screeds on religion online.
DePape grew up north of the border but moved from British Columbia to California 20 years ago. He followed a love interest, his stepfather told
CNN, and family members have insisted he was a 'good kid'.
He ended up in the Berkeley area, a liberal enclave of the city, where he lived in a three-bedroom Victorian flat with famed nudist activist Gypsy Taub and a group who believed 9/11 was an 'inside job'.
An acquaintance of his told CNN that DePape was struggling with hard drugs about eight years ago but was 'trying to create a new life for himself.' She said she cut off contact with DePape after receiving 'disturbing' emails in which he sounded 'dangerous' and 'out of touch with reality.'
His social media showed he posted conspiracy theories about the origins of the covid epidemic, about the validity of the 2020 election, and on the January 6th insurrection on Capitol Hill.
David DePape, 42, was identified as the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul with a hammer at their San Francisco home in the early hours of Friday morning
He defended former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of killing George Floyd.
He also posted long screeds about religion, including claims that 'Jesus is the anti christ.' When DePaper broke into the Pelosis' home, he was shouting 'Where is Nancy? Where's Nancy?'
The San Francisco home of the millionaire couple has been the frequent target of protests.
Currently, there is no formal protection for families or staff for members of Congress. Private security can be paid for out of campaign funds.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida
claimed that one of his supporters was attacked while out canvassing this week. And Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said
he's received death threats against himself and his family after serving on the committee investigating the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol.
Upscale Pacific Heights, where the Pelosis own their home, has not been immune from a crime wave hitting San Francisco. In recent months a nearby neighbor revealed how he was robbed at gunpoint outside his own mansion in the area.
Major crimes in San Francisco are up 7.4 percent so far this year from the same period in 2021, with assault up 11.1 percent and robbery up 5.2 percent.
Republican Senator Susan Collins had her home vandalized with a storm window broken this election year.
'I wouldn't be surprised if a senator or House member were killed,' Collins told
The New York Times earlier this month. 'What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence.'
Paul Pelosi attack: Nancy Pelosi's husband 'battered with a hammer' | Daily Mail Online