PALM COAST, FL - A Florida teen who viciously beat a female educator unconscious earlier this year will learn his fate in January after he pleaded no contest earlier this week, the New York Post reports. The incident occurred at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, after the teacher's aide took his Nintendo Switch away.
Brendan Depa, who is now 18 and was charged as an adult due to the violent nature of the crime, pleaded no contest to first-degree felony battery on an elected official or education employee. The charge carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, Fox News reported.
Depa was 17 when the violent assault occurred on Feb. 21. The incident, captured on video, went viral. While he was initially charged as a juvenile, the seriousness of the attack led prosecutors to upgrade his status to that of an adult.
Flagler Live in Florida reported that Depa was involved in a jail fight this past September. In addition, he had three prior battery arrests before the unprovoked assault on the victim, Joan Naydich, Fox News reported. Those charges stem from the 13th Judicial Circuit, located in Hillsborough County, Florida.
After she confiscated the video game, Depa threw Naydich to the floor, where he kicked and punched her in the back of the head over a dozen times.
Depa allegedly also threatened to kill Naydich while being taken into police custody.
Depa, who stands 6 feet, 6 inches, pleaded no contest before Judge Terrence Perkins, who will also oversee his sentencing next year. The Post notes the judge will have “wide latitude” in handling the case, with the sentences ranging from only probation to 30 years, as mentioned above.
The sentencing hearing will include witness testimony for both the prosecution and defense. Depa’s attorneys have indicated he has autism and had stressed that before Perkins, arguing he wasn’t competent to stand trial, an argument Perkins dismissed.
WESH-TV reports that Depa is considered “special needs,” with his attorney telling the Daytona Beach-News Journal he is autistic and “doing well” while still being held in the Flagler County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Meanwhile, Naydich has signaled she has no interest in helping mitigate Depa’s sentence, nor have prosecutors signaled any willingness for leniency.
“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 thus far has raised $104,000.
Naydich, who was granted a permanent injunction for protection against repeat violence against the suspect in March, said she suffered two broken ribs and multiple bruises as a result of the beating.
Comments
2023-11-06T16:28-0500 | Comment by: Pat
Give hime the max, to many people are useing the mental handicap card to avoid jail. Lock him up, throw away the key.