A hulking Florida teenager who brutally beat a high school teacher unconscious last February over a Nintendo Switch has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Brendan Depa, now 18, threw his head back after Circuit Judge Terrence Perkins handed down the sentence Tuesday night.
According to court records, Depa will be on probation for 15 years after his release and will reside in a group home.
Depa was charged with felony aggravated assault (bodily injury) for allegedly attacking Joan Neidich, a paraprofessional, in a hallway at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast.
The 17-year-old girl, described as 6-foot-6 and weighing 270 pounds, was seen on security camera footage sprinting toward the teacher, who turned around to see the attacker, who then shoved her to the floor.
Depa then repeatedly stomped on the unconscious paraprofessional worker and punched him 15 times.
It took several officers to pull Depa off Neidich and pin him to the ground.
In October, Depa denied the charges and was initially scheduled to receive up to 30 years in state prison, but the sentencing date was rescheduled in May after Judge Perkins said he needed to hear from more witnesses.
The boy, who has autism spectrum disorder, will serve his sentence in prison despite pleas from his mother and lawyers.
“They’re punishing him because he’s black, they’re punishing him because he’s large, they’re punishing him because of his disability,” the boy’s adoptive mother, Leanne Depa, said after the verdict.
“I think he needs help, I think he needs treatment, but I don’t think he needs to be in prison where he’ll be taken advantage of and harmed,” she added. Daytona Beach News Journal.
She also accused the school of not dealing properly with her son’s disability.
“We told the school that hunger is a trigger, noise is a trigger, being told ‘no’ is a trigger, being scolded in public is a trigger and electronic devices are a major trigger,” Lianne Depa added.
Depa’s lawyers said he should be tried as a minor because he was only 17 when he attacked Neidich, but Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark argued the boy had a history of violence. According to WESH.
According to the outlet, Perkins agreed with Clarke and said the February 2023 attack was not an isolated incident and that Brendan Depa had been accused of numerous assaults in the past.
Neidich alleged that Depa spat in her face and called her a “whore.”
“The last thing I remember is having my hand on the door handle,” Neidich told The Post in January. “I don’t remember anything. [else] That’s how it went until I regained consciousness at 3:30 p.m. I was in the emergency room with my son and daughter standing there.”
Neidich, who first encountered Depa in January 2022, has previously said the attack has left her with PTSD and suffering from anxiety.
“Because of Brendan Depa’s actions that day, I lost my job of nearly 19 years, my financial stability and my health insurance,” Neidich said at the May hearing.
“That morning, I felt like everything was taken from me,” Neidich added. “Everything was taken from me at 10 o’clock that morning. My life will never be the same again.”
Depa can appeal the sentence in writing, but was ordered to have no contact with Neidich and to stay 500 feet away from her home and workplace.
