(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Going viral for beating a high school teacher over a Nintendo Switch last February, a Florida teenager was sentenced to five years in prison.
Watch the video of the attack further down this post.
Now 18-year-old Brendan Depa reacted by throwing his head back after Circuit Judge Terence Perkins announced the sentence this week.
According to court records, Depa will also be on probation for 15 years after his release and will be placed in a group home.
The criminal faced charges of felony aggravated battery causing bodily harm after he assaulted paraprofessional Joan Naydich in a hallway at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast.
At 17 years old, Depa, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, was captured on security footage running toward Naydich. She only saw him coming a split second before he shoved her to the floor.
While he then repeatedly stomped on the unconscious teacher and punched her 15 times, several staff members had to intervene, restraining Depa and holding him down.
In October, the accused pleaded no contest to the charges. His initial sentencing, which could have led to up to 30 years in prison, was postponed after Perkins requested more witness testimonies in May.
Despite his mother’s and defense attorney’s pleas, Depa will serve his sentence in prison.
“They are punishing that he is black, they are punishing that he is large and they are punishing his disability,” his adoptive mother, Leanne Depa, said after the sentencing.
“I think he needs help, and I think he needs treatment. But I don’t think he needs to be put away in a prison where he’s going to be taken advantage of or harmed,” she added.
Leanne also criticized the school for not addressing her son’s disabilities properly.
“I had told the school that being hungry was a trigger, that noise was a trigger, that being told ‘no’ was a trigger, that being corrected in front of other people was a trigger, and electronics was a huge trigger,” she claimed.
Moreover, Depa’s attorney argued that he should be tried as a juvenile since the attack happened when he was 17, but Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark contended that Depa had a history of violence.
Depa can appeal his sentence in writing but was ordered to have no contact with Naydich and to stay 500 feet away from her home and work.
BREAKING: The Florida student who went viral for beating his teacher unconscious has been sentenced to five years in state prison.
Brendan Depa, a 6 feet, 6-inch, 270-pound teen, beat his teacher Joan Naydich for taking his Nintendo.
Depa's mother is blaming the "system" for… pic.twitter.com/treEQNKGNA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 7, 2024
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