Either this guy is a genius in putting together the perfect “insanity defense,” or he’s just clearly insane and will spend a long time in a mental institution that may be (may) a little nicer than prison. David DePape is laying the groundwork for a longer stay at one of two types of state institutions.
Umm, I certainly assume, against the advice or awareness of his attorney, DePape called a television station and apologized… backward. From San Francisco’s Fox Affiliate:
David DePape called the KTVU newsroom from San Francisco County Jail Friday, the same day a superior court judge ordered video of the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi to be released. The call was unexpected. He told our reporter he had an important message.
Bad idea. Insanely bad idea.
He said he attacked Pelosi because people’s individual liberties are under attack. In almost a call to arms, DePape says the, “people killing it have names and addresses, so I got their names and addresses so I could pay them a little visit…have a heart to heart chat about their bad behavior.”
The answer to having one’s civil liberties attacked is to take away someone else’s civil liberty to live in his house without someone coming in and beating him up? Insane.
In the chilling and bizarre phone call, he apologized for not going further. “I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them. It’s my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared,” he says.
Insane and dangerous. It really doesn’t matter which direction the deputies take him, so long as the door is locked for a long time.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, SUBSTACK, “MEMPHIS HORROR: AND THE GOP ACTIVELY FIGHTS WAKING UP TO OUR INHUMANITY”
You can be seriously mentally ill yet legally sane. The only salient question is does the defendent know right from wrong. Hearing voices, believing conspiracy theories are not grounds for an insanity defense. The body cam video, which I have not and will not see, pretty much makes the case, according to reports.
In my life, the least “sane” people have almost inevitably been the more caring and understanding about others. This guy? No way…he’s just an angry moron who wants a victim to beat. I was his lawyer, I’d be reading him the riot act over this stunt.
“Life’s a fight but not everybody’s a fighter. Otherwise, bullies would be an endangered species.”–Andrew Vachss
Mentally ill people are far more likely to be the victims of crimes than perpetrators. And the legal definition of insanity is nonsensical. Andrea Yates who killed her children was originally found guilty, but later retried and found not guilty. We need consider whether they are a,danger to themselves or others,,and take I to account their hearing voices and other symptoms. The current law is,based on the men sights rules coined in the 19th century. I think we’ve learned a bit since then, but the law hasn’t kept up with the science.