PALM COAST, Fla. — A Florida teen was sentenced to prison after he beat up a high school teacher for taking away his Nintendo Switch last year.
Brendan Depa, who is 6'6 and about 270 pounds, was seen on surveillance video brutally attacking paraprofessional Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast in February 2023. He ran down the hallway, knocked Naydich to the ground and got on top of her to punch her 15 times while she was unconscious after she took away his Nintendo Switch, according to the arrest report.
Depa, 18, had to be pulled off Naydich and restrained by multiple people. After, he told two school resource officers that he would beat her up every time she took away his game, the report read. When officers took him away, one said Depa spit at Naydich and said he would kill her.
WARNING: The video provided by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office may be difficult for some viewers to watch.
In October, Depa pleaded no contest to the felony charge of felony aggravated battery with bodily harm. During the trial, the defense requested a mental incompetency hearing since Depa is on the autism spectrum and on medication, according to Flagler County court records.
Two doctors found that Depa was competent despite having autism and some other disorders including Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
"Both experts agreed that an Autism Spectrum Disorder does not automatically equate to legal incompetency. Individuals suffering from that condition may be legally competent to proceed in criminal matters," according to the order finding Depa competent.
At the time of the incident, Depa was 17 years old and lived in a group home. Multiple people wrote to the Circuit Judge Terence Perkins pleading for him to not give Depa a harsh sentence.
One letter from a person named Natalie Keels, who signed off as a registered nurse, wrote that sentencing Depa as an adult would be "unjust and counterproductive." She said Depa needs support and rehabilitation and the conditions in person would "exacerbate the challenges" that he faces with autism.
His tutor at the Flagler County jail also wrote a letter and described him as an artist, a "prolific writer" and said that Depa always tells him that he is sorry about his past actions.
The tutor wrote that Depa would be an easy target in prison and "incarcerating a young man with the emotional maturity of a 5 or 6-year-old does nothing."
Depa ended up being charged as an adult and faced the first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
He was sentenced to five years in prison, 15 years of probation and will be placed in a group home after his release.
