As David DePape learns his fate for brutally attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, his former partner is speaking out.
Nudist Gypsy Taub – who was in a relationship with DePape for 14 years – said DePape has struggled with mental health issues stemming from years of sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child.
She says he was never violent during their romance, but became obsessed with Pelosi’s conspiracy theories.
David DePape admitted that he broke into Pelosi’s San Francisco residence with the intention of getting the senior Democrat to acknowledge her party’s “lies” on pain of breaking her kneecaps. She was not home at the time
Gypsy Taub, DePape’s former partner, said he suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse
“He was deeply depressed and I have no doubt that his mental health problems were a result of his trauma,” Taub told DailyMail.com.
‘He was in constant, very deep depression and was terrified of people.
‘He was paranoid and thought he was Jesus. He wrote about these things on his blog. He needs help, not prison.”
‘I met David when he was 21, but the problems he had stemmed from his child abuse.
Gypsy Taub, a well-known Bay Area nudist activist, said she met DePape when he was in his 20s and she was in her 30s. The two have three children together
“He was prostituted, abused, tortured – and he has admitted that this sexual abuse tortured him.”
Taub added that she never knew DePape was violent. The two share three children together, but had been divorced for years.
DePape’s relatives, including his twin sister, wrote to the judge asking for leniency.
David DePape cried in federal court while testifying about the October 2022 incident
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was not home when DePape broke into her San Francisco mansion
While Taub said DePape had a “very difficult childhood,” his family claimed otherwise
His sister, Joanne Robinson, said they had an “absolutely wonderful childhood” and that her younger twin brother – by five minutes – had always had a “calm nature”.
When her brother met Taub, the popular nudist was pregnant and in her 30s.
“He was in a partnership situation with Gypsy for many years and was not allowed to have contact with his family,” Robinson wrote to the judge. ‘If he did, he would be verbally abused for hours and thrown out of the house.
“It was such a drama and struggle that it would be easier if David just shut us out of his life and focused on being there for his own children.”
Robinson said that since her brother has been in prison, he has started talking to his family again and is staying away from “the negative influences of the gypsy.”
Taub denied the allegations and said she is concerned DePape could sink deeper into depression if left untreated.
Paul Pelosi, 84, managed to call 911 before DePape hit his head with a hammer. He continues to have health problems since the attack
“I don’t agree with them because the first problem is that he is very mentally ill,” Taub said.
“None of them talk about the truth of what happened that day [of the attack] and what he has been through. No one tells their truth.’
DePape, a former nudist from Canada, attacked the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on October 28, 2022, after breaking into their posh San Francisco mansion.
The shocking attack – captured on police body camera video – left Paul Pelosi, then 82, with a fractured skull.
During his federal trial, DePape cried and testified that he regretted hurting Pelosi, but added that he responded because his “plan was ruined.”
DePape said he was looking for Nancy Pelosi that night to ask her about Russiagate, but had no intention of hurting her husband.
Nancy Pelosi was not home during the attack.
Taub told DailyMail.com that he was suffering from severe PTSD and turned to his personal blog to discuss his fears and political concerns.
DePape posted crazy COVID conspiracy theories, racist comments and a manifesto that contained anti-government beliefs.
Prosecutors have sought a 40-year prison sentence for DePape, saying he has shown no remorse for seriously wounding Pelosi. They also argued that the punishment should include an enhancement of terrorism.
DePape’s federal public defenders asked the court for a more lenient 14-year prison sentence, arguing that their client had an “abusive, long-term relationship with a partner who exploited his innate vulnerabilities and immersed him in a world of extreme beliefs where the reality is not’. reality.’
Although she was not named by DePape’s public defenders, Taub denied allegations that she manipulated him. Instead, she blames the alleged abuse DePape suffered when he was younger.