Prosecutor makes closing arguments in David DePape's state trial
SAN FRANCISCO - The latest trial for the man accused of hitting Paul Pelosi over the head with a hammer is entering its final phases.
On Monday, prosecutors at San Francisco's Hall of Justice walked the jury through their case asking them to find David DePape guilty of the five charges he's facing.
Prosecutor Phoebe Maffei began her closing arguments to the jury of five women and seven men who will decide the fate of DePape. She told the jury, "the simple truth, the plain facts of this case are terrifying without embellishment."
DePape is accused of breaking into the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with the intent of breaking her kneecaps.
When police arrived at the home, officers' body-worn cameras captured the moment DePape smashed the then 82-year-old Paul Pelosi in the head.
DePape is facing false imprisonment, kidnapping, burglary, threatening a public official and witness intimidation charges.
The prosecutor told the jury, "We are going to ask you at the end of this to find Mr. DePape guilty on all five charges before you."
Randall Knox is a defense attorney and former prosecutor who has been following the trial. He says the final arguments are the last chance for attorneys on both sides to sway the jury.
"As a prosecutor you want to get across, these are the elements of the crime," said Knox. "The facts fit those elements. As a defense attorney, you want to deconstruct the case. You want to be the Monday morning quarterback and show the flaws and the elements that are missing. The inconsistencies and you want to raise a reasonable doubt."
DePape has already been convicted in federal court for the attack.
The defense is expected to make its closing arguments and the case is expected to be in the jury's hands on Tuesday.
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