A burly Florida teenager who knocked a female teacher unconscious after her Nintendo Switch video game was confiscated at school pleaded guilty to the shocking crime on Monday and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Brendan Depa, then 17, violently threw Matanzas High School paraprofessional Joan Naydich to the ground before kicking and punching her in the back and headbutting her more than a dozen times.
Surveillance footage of the disturbing February attack — which took place inside a school — quickly went viral.
Appearing in court on Monday, Depa, who is reportedly autistic, pleaded guilty to the crime and will now be sentenced by Judge Terrence Perkins at a January hearing.
“No contest,” said Depa, who stands 6-foot-6, after Perkins asked him how he pleaded the felony charges against him, according to Flagler Live.
Brendan Depa pleaded guilty to felony assault Monday.Nigel Cook/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK Victim Joan Naydich refused to help Depa get a lighter sentence.David Tucker\News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK The viral shot was captured on school cameras. Flagler County S Depa punched and kicked Naydich more than a dozen times. Flagler County S Depa will be sentenced for the crime in January.
Perkins will have wide latitude in handling high-profile cases, with a minimum sentence of probation and a maximum term of 30 years available to him.
Scheduled for January, the proceedings will include witness testimony for both the prosecution and the defense.
Depa’s attorneys have emphasized his mental state, and argued he was incompetent to stand trial before Perkins dropped the effort before the plea.
Naydich has refused to participate in any effort to commute Dena’s sentence, and prosecutors have not signaled a willingness for leniency.
“I hope that awareness of this incident spread far and wide will prevent others from dealing with the trauma, physical healing and disruption of daily life this has caused,” he said on a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $104,000.
Depa faces up to 30 years in prison. Nigel Cook/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Depa was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the rap was upgraded.
The troubled teenager had three battery convictions before the attack on Naydich, who was hospitalized after the attack and released.
Flagler Live also reported that Depa was involved in a prison fight in September.
Depa reportedly threatened to kill the educator after being arrested.
Naydich – who is expected to testify at Dena’s sentencing – declined to comment on the case.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
