Florida teen caught on video brutally beating teacher's aide sentenced to 5 years in prison despite adoptive mother's pleas



The Florida teenager who made national headlines in 2023 for brutally beating a teacher's aide has been sentenced to five years in state prison.

Brendan Depa was caught on surveillance video Feb. 21 knocking down his 57-year-old victim before brutally pummeling her on the floor as bystanders watched at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast. He was 17 years old at the time.

'I beg you to let him come home with me.'

Depa was sentenced Tuesday to prison despite the pleas from his adoptive mother. The victim, Joan Naydich, testified in support of Depa facing a steep sentence.

“Brendan Depa’s actions that day has caused me to lose a job that I had for almost 19 years, lose my financial security, lose my health insurance,” Naydich said.

The arrest report said the 270-pound, 6'6'' student punched Naydich 15 times. She suffered five broken ribs, a concussion, vision and hearing loss, and has been diagnosed with PTSD.

Depa reportedly beat the woman after his Nintendo Switch was taken away, leading many online to blame the victim and excuse his actions based on his autism diagnosis. Naydich later said she never took away the teen's video game.

“For all you keyboard warriors, I just want to set the record straight. I never took the Nintendo Switch from him. From anyone that's read or heard differently, I've been told this was unfortunately misinformation,” Naydich wrote.

Leanne Depa, the student’s mother, argued in court that the school had disregarded her warnings about his triggers, which included noise, being told no, and being corrected in front of other people.

“I knew Brendan, and I knew his triggers, and I knew his needs and his strengths, and I beg you to let him come home with me,” the mother said.

Depa also will undergo 15 years of supervised probation after serving his prison term. He could have faced up to 30 years in prison for the charge.

A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $140,000 for Naydich.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Teacher's aide hospitalized after brutal beating denies report that she had taken away his Nintendo Switch



The teacher's aide who was brutally beaten by a large student says that she had not confiscated his Nintendo Switch as had been widely reported.

Security video of the vicious assault was met with horror across the nation. The 270-pound, 6-foot-6-inch tall student is seen knocking her down before pummeling her unconscious body at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida.

Joan Naydich, the 57-year-old victim, has spoken out after being hospitalized for her injuries and released.

Some on social media criticized Naydich for reportedly taking a Nintendo Switch away from the student, but she addressed those critics in a statement through a GoFundMe campaign set up for her benefit.

“For all you keyboard warriors, I just want to set the record straight. I never took the Nintendo Switch from him. From anyone that's read or heard differently, I've been told this was unfortunately misinformation,” Naydich wrote.

She also thanked her supporters in the statement.

"Overwhelmed with the idea of the long fight ahead," the single mom wrote, "your contributions are lessening that burden and I'm truly grateful! 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 that this has caused. It's touching to know that so many care. This certainly wasn't how I saw my son's senior year turning out for our family."

The student has been identified as 17-year-old Brendan Depa, who has a violent history and is considered behaviorally disabled.

Law enforcement officials said Depa will be tried as an adult for aggravated battery on a school board employee, an offense that carries a possible sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted.

He reportedly told police that he was going to kill Naydich when he is released from custody.

The GoFundMe campaign for Naydich has garnered over $84k in donations from supporters.

Here's more about the heinous incident:

Family of Teacher's Aide Attacked by Student Speaks Out www.youtube.com

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!