Florida teacher severely beaten by 270-pound student over Nintendo Switch refuses to help defense lighten sentence
The Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a 270-pound student in a viral video has refused to help the teen’s defense lighten his sentence, according to a report.
Brendan Depa, then 17, violently hurled Matanzas High School paraprofessional Joan Naydich to the ground, then could be seen in the video kicking and punching her in the back and head more than a dozen times before he was pulled off her by other staff.
The troubled teen told investigators he attacked Naydich because teachers ordered him to stop playing a video game on a Nintendo Switch.
Depa, who was charged as an adult, faces up to 30 years in prison for the first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery.
According to Flagler Live, Naydich has “shown no interest in mitigating what penalties Depa might face.”
The autistic teen — who will plead guilty to avoid trial — was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the raps were upgraded.
Still, Judge Terrence Perkins still has the option of sentencing him as a youth — and meting out a penalty as low as probation. The teen’s disabilities will likely weigh on his decision.
Now 18, Depa had three prior battery arrests before the shocking February attack on Naydich, who was treated at a hospital after the assault.
Flagler Live also reported that Depa got into a brawl in jail just last month.
Depa, who stands 6-foot-6, reportedly threatened to kill Naydich during his arrest.
It was initially reported Naydich had personally confiscated the Nintendo device from him, but she denied doing so in subsequent interviews.
“I’m hopeful that the awareness of this incident being spread far and wide will prevent anyone else from ever dealing with the trauma, physical healing and disruption of everyday life this has caused,” she said on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $100,000.
Depa is slated to issue his plea later month and will be sentenced after that in a separate proceeding.
The high school where the assault took place has been besieged by violence in recent years — and days.
Just this week, 11 students were arrested at the Palm Coast school after a massive fracas erupted in a crowded hallway.
Deputies and administrators who tried to quell the chaos were shoved and punched during the incident.
“The lack of respect demonstrated by these students is simply shameful,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said of the fight. “But actions have consequences.”
In yet another violent episode this week, a 16-year-old student was arrested for biting a teacher who tried to stop her from fighting another girl.
