The Florida teacher who was knocked unconscious by a large teenage student over a video game says he is now forced to live on handouts — and wants no mercy shown to his assailant at his upcoming sentencing.
“Everyone who knows me or knows me [before the attack]know that I’m a completely different person now,” Joan Naydich told Fox 35. “My whole life just turned upside down.”
Then 17 years old and standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall, Brendan Depa attacked a paraprofessional inside Matanzas High School in February, leaving him with five broken ribs, a severe concussion and hearing loss.
Naydich told the station that he wants Depa to be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison for the stomach ache incident that left him physically and emotionally broken.
Naydich said that his speech had slowed down and he had ongoing cognitive problems.
“Unfortunately, many of my invisible injuries will be with me for the rest of my life,” he said.
Given his physical illness, Naydich said he is struggling to settle his workers’ compensation case and has been abandoned by the Flagler County School District since the attack.
Naydich suffered five broken ribs and a concussion in the attack. Flagler County S Naydich wants Depa to get the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Joan Naydich
Naydich returned to the school under a different title in August but was later placed on unpaid leave, according to Fox 35.
Without any regular income, he now depends on donations and help from the community to survive.
A GoFundMe account launched after the attack has so far raised about $106,000.
Brendan Depa is furious after a teacher took away his Nintendo Switch.Nigel Cook/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Depa, who officials say has autism, became enraged after a teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch.
Without warning, he attacked Naydich from behind, knocking him to the floor and raining kicks and punches to his back and head.
The shot – which left him motionless on the floor – was caught on surveillance cameras and quickly went viral.
Depa pleaded guilty to the attack last month, and Naydich has since refused to help his defense seek a lighter sentence.
Judge Terrence Perkins could sentence Depa to anywhere from probation to a maximum of three decades in prison.
Naydich told Fox 35 that he wants the maximum term of 30 years — and is willing to take a stand to help secure that decision.
“I want to make sure he can’t walk the streets freely,” he told the station.
Scheduled for January, the proceedings will include testimony for both the prosecution and the defense.
Joan Naydich told Fox 35 that she has been placed on unpaid leave.David Tucker\News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Depa’s attorneys had highlighted his mental deficits and argued he was incompetent to stand trial before Perkins rejected arguments before his plea.
Now 18, Depa was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the rap was upgraded.
The teenager had three battery arrests before the attack on Naydich.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
