CNN
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A California court on Wednesday ruled that the San Francisco district attorney’s office must make public the 911 audio calls, police body camera footage and home surveillance video recorded the night of the attack at the Pelosis’ San Francisco home last year. Audio from police interviews with David DePape, the alleged attacker, must also be made public, the court ruled.
The decision came following a motion by a coalition of news organizations, including CNN, seeking the release of the material.
It’s not immediately clear how soon the material will be made public.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to a litany of state and federal crimes, including assault and attempted murder. His lawyers argued against the public release of the audio and footage, writing it would “irreparably damage” his right to a fair trial.
Paul Pelosi was violently attacked in October with a hammer at the couple’s home by a male assailant who was searching for the House speaker, according to court documents – a development that ultimately drove then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to leave House Democratic leadership.
Pelosi underwent surgery “to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands” following the incident, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. The California Democratic congresswoman told CNN last week that while her husband is “doing OK,” it will still “take a little while for him to be back to normal.”
Court documents revealed DePape allegedly woke Paul Pelosi shortly after 2 a.m., carrying a large hammer and several white zip ties, and demanded: “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” He then threatened to tie up Paul Pelosi and prevented him from escaping via elevator, according to the documents. DePape later allegedly told him, “I can take you out.”
Pelosi placed a 911 call during the attack after convincing the assailant to let him go to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, and he spoke cryptically to police. CNN previously reported that police body cam footage from the incident is expected to show what officers saw when Paul Pelosi opened the door and his assailant attacked him with a hammer, fracturing his skull.
A limited number of Pelosi family members met with authorities in November to listen to the call and to view the footage, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” at the time, confirming details first reported by CNN.
Asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in early November whether she wanted to hear the call her husband placed, Nancy Pelosi said, “I don’t think so. I don’t know if I’ll have to. I just don’t know. That’s all a matter on the legal side of things.” But she added, “Paul saved his own life with that call.”
