*A Florida teacher viciously beaten by a special needs student in a viral video has refused to help lighten the teenager’s sentence.
EUR reported previously, citing CNN, that Brendan Depa was age 17 when he was arrested after a video showed him brutally attacking Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School on February 21. According to an arrest report, the teen stated he was upset because Naydich had taken away his Nintendo Switch device and that he would “beat her up” every time she took away his game.
As Law & Crime reports, Depa, 18, is considered a special needs student and reportedly lives in a group home. He was charged with felony aggravated battery with bodily harm, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“The student stated that he was upset because the victim took his Nintendo Switch away from him during class,” said police after his arrest.
The 270-pound, 6-foot-6 autistic teen, who was charged as an adult, faces up to 30 years in prison for the first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery. According to Flagler Live, Naydich has “shown no interest in mitigating what penalties Depa might face.”
Depa is expected to plead guilty to avoid trial, New York Post reports. The judge in the case could sentence him as a youth – and hand down a probationary sentence.
Before the attack on Naydich earlier this year, Depa had three prior battery arrests.
Naydich was knocked unconscious during the assault in February, and he threatened to kill her during his arrest.
Naydich’s family and friends launched a GoFundMe to raise funds to cover costs for her medical and basic living expenses.
“The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the release at the time. “We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the [school resource deputies] could arrive. Our schools should be a safe place — for both employees and students.”
READ MORE: Special Needs Student Who Attacked School Employee Over Nintendo to Be Charged as Adult
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