The conspiratorial attacker who attacked the husband of former Democratic parliamentary leader Nancy Pelosi with a hammer in October 2022, just days before the midterm elections in the United States, was found guilty on Thursday by a San Francisco court.
Jurors convicted David DePape of the violent attack, during which he fractured Paul Pelosi's skull, and also found him guilty of attempting to kidnap the former House speaker.
His sentence, which could reach life in prison, will be pronounced at a later date.
Nancy Pelosi was the third most important person in the State and was regularly the target of conspiracy theories fueled by the far right.
The trial showed how DePape, an illegal and rather reclusive Canadian carpenter, immersed himself in a world of misinformation before acting.
"He deliberately targeted" Nancy Pelosi "because of her work, her role in our political system," prosecutor Helen Gilbert said.
The 43-year-old told the trial how he became an avid listener of far-right podcasts.
On social media, he shared posts claiming that American elites were corrupt and practiced pedophilia, or that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Paul Pelosi "was never my target and I'm sorry he was hurt," DePape claimed, saying he attacked him when he realized his "plan was essentially ruined."
When he broke into the Pelosi couple's home in San Francisco with ropes, gloves and duct tape, he initially wanted to attack the parliamentarian, who was in Washington that day.
He admitted to investigators that he planned to "break her kneecaps" if she did not admit to the "lies" of the Democratic camp.
His plan also included other targets, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, President Hunter Biden's son, and actor Tom Hanks, he admitted in court.
Paul Pelosi remained hospitalized for more than a week and had to undergo surgery.
Members of the Republican Party ironically commented on the attack at the time and expressed their skepticism, despite images that proved it.
The owner of X, Elon Musk, echoed on that social network - before deleting those messages - a conspiracy theory according to which the assault followed a sexual encounter that ended badly.
After this federal process, David DePape must be tried by the California justice system.
