A Florida teacher was brutally beaten unconscious by a 270-pound autistic student after she told him to stop playing his Nintendo Switch. REFUSES to support a 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
- A video showed the autistic teenager punching and kicking the teacher in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the floor
- Depa is expected to enter his plea later this month and will then be sentenced in a separate trial
A Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a 270-pound student has refused to support a lighter sentence for the teen.
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.
A video showed the autistic teenager punching and kicking the teacher in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the floor.
Eventually, the 6-foot-tall teenager, now 18, was pulled away and held by other employees.
Naydich was taken to a local hospital and treated after the attack.
A Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a 270-pound student has refused to support a lighter sentence for the teen
Naydich was taken to a local hospital and treated after the attack
Depa reportedly threatened to kill Naydich during his arrest.
Depa was charged as an adult and faces up to 30 years in prison for first-degree aggravated assault.
The teenager, who was initially charged as a juvenile before being elevated to adulthood, is expected to plead guilty to avoid prison time, the New York Post reported.
According to the news site Flagler Live, Naydich “has shown no interest in mitigating Depa’s potential penalties.”
Depa had already arrested three people on assault charges before the February attack and was involved in a prison fight just last month, the Post reported.
“I hope that widespread knowledge of this incident will prevent others from ever having to deal with the trauma, physical healing and disruption to everyday life that this incident has caused,” she said on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than 100,000 people has $100,000.
Depa is expected to enter his plea later this month and will then be sentenced in a separate trial.
Matanzas High School, where the attack occurred, has been plagued by violence in recent years, the Post reported.
A video showed the autistic teenager punching and kicking the teacher in the back and head until she lay unconscious on the floor
The teenager, who was initially charged as a juvenile before being elevated to adulthood, is expected to plead guilty to avoid a prison sentence
Earlier this week, 11 students were arrested after a fight broke out in a crowded hallway.
Deputies and administration officials who tried to quell the chaos were pushed and punched during the incident.
“The lack of respect shown by these students is simply shameful,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said of the fight. “But actions have consequences.”
In another violent incident this week, a 16-year-old student was arrested for biting a teacher who was trying to stop her from arguing with another girl.