Florida teacher brutally beaten unconscious by 270-pound autistic student after she told him to stop playing his Nintendo Switch REFUSES to withdraw lighter sentence as he faces up to 30 years in prison
- High school teacher Joan Naydich was violently attacked by Brendan Depa, then 17, in February after she told him to stop playing on his Nintendo Switch
- The autistic teenager was seen on video punching and kicking the educator in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the ground.
- Depa is expected to enter his plea later this month and will then be sentenced in a separate proceeding
A Florida teacher who was beaten senseless by a 270-pound student refused to support a lighter sentence for the teenager.
High school teacher Joan Naydich was violently attacked by Brendan Depa, then 17, in February after she told him to stop playing on his Nintendo Switch.
The autistic teenager was seen on video punching and kicking the educator in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the ground.
Eventually, the 6-foot-6 teenager, now 18, was pulled away and restrained by other staff.
Naydich, was taken to a local hospital and treated after the assault.
Florida teacher beaten senseless by 270-pound student refuses to support lighter sentence for teen
Naydich, was taken to a local hospital and treated after the assault
Depa, reportedly threatened to kill Naydich during his arrest.
Depa, was charged as an adult and faces up to 30 years in prison on the first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery.
The teenager, who was initially charged as a juvenile before being upgraded to an adult, is set to plead guilty in an attempt to avoid jail time, the New York Post reported.
Naydich has ‘shown no interest in mitigating the fines Depa faces’, according to news site Flagler Live.
Depa had three prior battery arrests before the February attack and was in a jail fight just last month, the Post reported.
“I am hopeful that spreading awareness of this incident far and wide will prevent anyone else from ever having to deal with the trauma, physical healing and disruption to everyday life that it has caused,” she said on a GoFundMe- page that over $100,000.
Depa is expected to enter his plea later this month and will then be sentenced in a separate proceeding.
Matanzas High School, where the assault took place, has been plagued with violence in recent years, the Post reported.
The autistic teenager was seen on video punching and kicking the educator in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the ground.
The teenager, who was initially charged as a juvenile before being upgraded to an adult, is set to plead guilty in a bid to avoid jail time
Earlier this week, eleven students were arrested after a fight broke out in a crowded hallway.
Deputies and administrators who tried to quell the chaos were pushed and punched during the incident.
“The lack of respect shown by these students is simply disgraceful,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said of the fight. “But actions have consequences.”
In another violent episode this week, a 16-year-old student was arrested for biting a teacher who tried to stop her from fighting with another girl.