The mom of a Florida teenager who beat his trainer into unconsciousness over a Nintendo Swap is talking out in regards to the horrific assault.
Whereas expressing empathy for the educator and apologizing for her son’s motion, she goals to lift consciousness in regards to the gravity of his autism. Because of his developmental challenges, she contends that sentencing him to jail could be tantamount to a ‘loss of life sentence.’
Leanne Depa is pleading with the courts to point out leniency within the authorized proceedings regarding her son, Brendan Depa.
The 18-year-old is dealing with as much as a 30-year jail sentence for pushing Joan Naydich, a paraprofessional on the Matanza Excessive College, in Palm Coast, Florida, to the ground in a hallway and brutally punching and kicking her whereas she was down.
Brendan with the help of his authorized workforce pleaded no contest as an grownup for first-degree aggravated battery final month.
Surveillance video of the Feb. 21 incident exhibits the 6-foot-6, 270-pound teen, who was 17 years outdated on the time, pummeling the older lady in her head and on her again repeatedly.
The teenager was enjoying with the online game system throughout class and one of many professionals tried to take it away. The teenager lashed out at Naydich, regardless of her not being the trainer who intervened.
The lady sustained 5 damaged ribs, listening to loss, and claims that she has been experiencing cognitive issues because the assault.
“I used to be attacked on February twenty first and I really feel like I’m simply consistently being attacked,” she stated, including in an interview with Fox 35, “All people that is aware of me or knew me [before the attack], is aware of that I’m a very completely different individual now,” she stated. “My complete life was simply turned the other way up.”
Different academics tried to leap in and cease Brendan from attacking Naydich however to no avail.
The mom, who instructed native outlet Flagler Information this summer time that Brendan was adopted as an toddler, appeared on NewsNation’s “Bandfield” and is hoping her attraction will assist her son get a lighter or extra simply punishment.
“I’m so sorry for what my son did and no one ought to ever need to undergo that,” the mother stated, including, “However on the identical time, please think about that my son has had a tough life and he’s gone via a lot trauma in his life. He has autism. Please present mercy to him.”
The sufferer desires the kid to obtain the utmost sentencing for the crime.
“I really feel like if he will get sentenced to jail, it’s a loss of life sentence for him. He’s scared. And to have your youngster name and cry and say, ‘I don’t wish to die’ — it’s terrible,” the mom tearfully stated in her interview, explaining that her son had a historical past of IEP that was ignored when his intensive behavioral group residence positioned him within the Florida public college.
She additionally stated she questioned why he could be positioned within the college when the choice was made to maneuver him there.
“I had at all times homeschooled him as a result of he didn’t deal with the varsity setting. I requested the group residence, ‘Did he need to go to public college? May he not do college on-line?’ And I used to be assured by them that every one of their purchasers went to public college,” Depa stated. She continued, “I by no means thought he belonged in public college. I didn’t have a alternative.”
In response to Leanne, Brendan was clinically identified with autism, ADHD, oppositional defiance dysfunction, and reactive explosive dysfunction. His situations, in his state, can’t be used as part of his authorized protection.
Since Brendan is now a authorized grownup, he’ll not be charged as a minor. These fees have been upgraded, and he’s at the moment being held on a $1 million bond as he awaits his sentencing listening to in January.
He’s thought of harmful. This isn’t the primary of his violent outbursts. He was arrested 3 times on battery and even was written up for preventing in jail in September 2023.
