A Florida teenager, Brendan Depa, known for his hulking size, pleaded guilty to a shocking crime where he brutally assaulted a female teacher who had confiscated his Nintendo Switch video game at Matanzas High School.
The attack, captured on school surveillance cameras, showed Depa throwing the school paraprofessional, Joan Naydich, to the ground before kicking and punching her repeatedly in the back and head.
Appearing in court, the 17-year-old Depa, who is reportedly autistic, admitted to the crime. His sentence will be determined by Judge Terrence Perkins at a hearing scheduled for January.
Perkins will have wide discretion in handling the case, with the potential for a minimum sentence of probation and a maximum term of 30 years.
Depa’s attorneys had previously emphasized his mental condition, but the effort to argue his incompetence to stand trial was rejected before the guilty plea.
Joan Naydich has declined to participate in efforts to seek a lighter sentence for Depa, and prosecutors have not shown willingness for leniency.
The incident garnered widespread attention and led to a GoFundMe page that raised over $104,000 for Naydich.
Depa, initially charged as a juvenile, had three prior battery arrests before the assault.
He had also been involved in a jail fight in September and reportedly threatened to kill the educator upon being taken into custody.
Joan Naydich is expected to testify at Depa’s sentencing.
