Paul Pelosi’s Alleged Attacker ‘Mentally Ill for a Long Time,’ Says Former Partner
Gypsy Taub said David DePape had returned after some time away “in very bad shape. He thought he was Jesus. He was constantly paranoid, thinking people were after him.”

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME
The former partner of David DePape, the man who allegedly attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul with a hammer, has described DePape as “mentally ill. He has been mentally ill for a long time.” Oxane Taub, better known as Gypsy, told ABC7 News in San Francisco that after one period of time away DePape had returned “in very bad shape. He thought he was Jesus. He was constantly paranoid, thinking people were after him,” Taub said. “And it took a good year or two to get back to, you know, being halfway normal.”
Taub said she and DePape met more than 20 years ago, and separated around seven years ago. Taub said, “When I met him, he was only 20 years old, and he didn’t have any experience in politics, and he was very much in alignment with my views and I’ve always been very progressive. I absolutely admire Nancy Pelosi.” Taub, herself currently incarcerated in the Californian Institution for Women after being convicted on abduction charges in 2021, also sent a message to the Pelosis: “I would like to express my deepest apology to Nancy Pelosi and her husband for the terrible tragic thing that happened.”
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