The trial of accused Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape is barely underway, and the judge in the state trial has just dismissed the three most serious charges against him, siding with public defenders who had argued for this.

The jury is currently on an extended break from the proceedings in the trial of David DePape, while attorneys on both sides have been hashing out several motions with Judge Harry Dorfman. On Thursday, as the Chronicle reports, Judge Dorfman dismissed charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and elder abuse, apparently agreeing with the defense that these charges violated the state's double jeopardy law, which prevents DePape from being tried twice for the same crime.

Technically, none of those were the exact charges that he has already faced in federal court, and for which he has already been convicted and sentenced. In federal court, DePape was found guilty of one count of attempted kidnapping of a federal official (Nancy Pelosi), and one count of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. For those charges, he was sentenced to 20 and 30 years, respectively, but those sentences are to be served concurrently.

Following Dorfman's ruling, the state case may now solely concern the other five charges DePape faces, which are false imprisonment, residential burglary, threatening a family member of a public official, attempting to sway a witness, and aggravated kidnapping.

The ruling followed "several hours of tense arguments on Wednesday and Thursday" between the prosecution and defense, per the Chronicle. And this ruling is likely to upset the Pelosi family, given the traumatic events of October 28, 2022, and the violence that was inflicted on Mr. Pelosi, which DePape has already confessed to and testified about in federal court.

The jury in the state case was sworn in on May 24, and they have heard opening arguments and a couple of days of witness testimony so far. They were sent home earlier this week while the court took time to consider motions filed by the attorneys, and now, the Chronicle reports, the jury is not expected back in the courtroom until June 14, a week from tomorrow.

Apparently, both the defense and the prosecution have requested a stay, or a pause in the trial as they appeal Dorfman's ruling to an appeals court.

In testimony on Tuesday we learned from investigators about internet searches DePape made in the weeks prior to breaking in to the Pelosis' home, and about one previously unreported addition to his alleged "hit list" of targets, which was his ex-partner Gypsy Taub. Taub, for her part, has continued to defend DePape insofar as she distrusts the government's evidence against him, and distrusts governments generally.

She has referred to the "conspiracy theory" about DePape being a Trump supporter trying to overthrow the government of Joe Biden as "the craziest conspiracy since the one about a guy in a cave in Afghanistan orchestrating the bringing down of the World Trade Center."

Previously: Ex-Partner of Pelosi Attacker David DePape, Gypsy Taub, Was Also On His Hit List, Police Say