1 year ago
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CNN —
The antheral who allegedly attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s hubby aboriginal Friday posted memes and conspiracy theories connected Facebook astir Covid vaccines, the 2020 predetermination and the January 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol, and an acquaintance told CNN that helium seemed “out of interaction with reality.”
David DePape, 42, was identified by constabulary Friday arsenic the fishy successful the battle connected Paul Pelosi astatine the speaker’s San Francisco home.
Three of DePape’s relatives told CNN that DePape has been estranged from his household for years, and confirmed that the Facebook relationship – which was taken down by the societal media institution connected Friday – belonged to him.
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His stepfather, Gene DePape, said David DePape grew up successful Powell River, British Columbia, and near Canada astir 20 years agone to prosecute a narration that brought him to California.
“I truly don’t cognize what to think,” the suspect’s uncle, Mark DePape, said of his nephew’s alleged onslaught connected Pelosi. “Hopefully it’s a scam. I don’t privation to perceive thing similar that.”
People who knew DePape successful California described him arsenic an unusual character.
A 2013 article successful the San Francisco Chronicle identified him arsenic a “hemp jewelry maker,” and said that helium lived with a nudist activist. Other photos published by the Chronicle amusement DePape – afloat clothed – astatine a nude wedding connected the steps of San Francisco City Hall.
Linda Schneider, a California resident, told CNN she got to cognize DePape astir 8 years agone and that helium occasionally housesat for her. When they met, she said, DePape was surviving successful a retention portion successful the Berkeley country and told her helium had been struggling with hard drugs but was “trying to make a caller beingness for himself.”
She said that helium was highly shy. “He said helium couldn’t adjacent spell and person a slope relationship due to the fact that helium was terrified of speaking to a teller,” Schneider said.
But Schneider aboriginal received “really disturbing” emails from DePape successful which helium sounded similar a “megalomaniac and truthful retired of interaction with reality,” she said. She said she stopped communicating with him “because it seemed truthful dangerous,” adding that she recalled him “using Biblical justification to bash harm.”
DePape’s societal media beingness likewise paints a representation of idiosyncratic connected a worrying trajectory, falling into conspiracy theories successful caller years.
Last year, David DePape posted links connected his Facebook leafage to aggregate videos produced by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell falsely alleging that the 2020 predetermination was stolen. Other posts included transphobic images and linked to websites claiming Covid vaccines were deadly. “The decease rates being promoted are what ever ‘THEY’ privation to beryllium promoted arsenic the decease rate,” 1 station read.
DePape besides posted links to YouTube videos with titles similar “Democrat FARCE Commission to Investigate January 6th Capitol Riot COLLAPSES successful Congress!!!” and “Global Elites Plan To Take Control Of YOUR Money! (Revealed)”
Two days aft erstwhile Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was recovered blameworthy of sidesplitting George Floyd, DePape wrote that the proceedings was “a modern lynching,” falsely indicating that Floyd died of a cause overdose.
He besides posted contented astir the “Great Reset”– the sprawling conspiracy mentation that planetary elites are utilizing coronavirus to usher successful a caller satellite bid successful which they summation much powerfulness and oppress the masses. And helium complained that politicians making promises to effort to triumph votes “are offering you bribes successful speech for your further enslavement.”
Most of the nationalist posts connected DePape’s Facebook leafage were from 2021. In earlier years, DePape besides posted agelong screeds astir religion, including claims that “Jesus is the anti christ.” None of the nationalist posts appeared to notation Pelosi.
More recently, 2 different blogs written by idiosyncratic with the username “daviddepape” person posted contented akin to that connected DePape’s Facebook page.
In a drawstring of posts connected a Wordpress.com blog implicit the people of respective days successful August 2022, the writer complained astir large tech censorship and posted statements similar “Hitlery did thing wrong.” The tract has since been taken offline.
And different blog, besides attributed to “daviddepape,” featured antisemitic screeds and contented linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory. One video posted connected the tract includes a changeable of Pelosi swinging a gavel during 1 of erstwhile President Donald Trump’s impeachments, and different video includes an representation of Pelosi and different politicians. A 3rd video includes a clip of Pelosi speaking connected the House floor.
Other posts from the past fewer weeks featured videos accusing LGBTQ radical of “grooming” children, and declared that “any writer saying” determination is nary grounds of predetermination fraud “should beryllium dragged consecutive retired into the thoroughfare and shot.” The astir caller station – linking to a YouTube video comparing colleges to cults – went up the time earlier the Pelosi attack.
CNN was not capable to corroborate that the 2 blogs were written by DePape.
Another erstwhile acquaintance of DePape’s besides told CNN helium exhibited concerning behaviour implicit the years.
Laura Hayes, who besides lives successful California, said she worked with DePape for a fewer months astir a decennary agone making hemp bracelets erstwhile helium was surviving successful a retention shed successful the Berkeley area. She said DePape sold the bracelets arsenic a business.
“He was precise odd. He didn’t marque oculus interaction precise well,” Hayes said. She recalled him saying that “he talks to angels and determination volition beryllium a hard clip coming.” But she didn’t retrieve immoderate earnestly threatening comments, and said she didn’t deliberation overmuch of it due to the fact that “it’s Berkeley,” a spot wherever eccentric characters aren’t uncommon.
Hayes, who was Facebook friends with DePape, called his much caller posts “so phobic successful truthful galore ways” and filled with “so overmuch anger.”
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