The incident occurred last February at Matanzas High School, where security cameras captured the 6-foot-6, 270-pound student brutally attacking Naydich over a Nintendo Switch. The footage shows Depa running toward Naydich, shoving her to the ground, and causing her to lose consciousness almost immediately. He then proceeded to stomp on and punch her repeatedly until four staff members intervened and restrained him. Naydich, who suffered five broken ribs and concussion, said that Depa spat in her face and called her a “b----” and a “wh---." Depa, who turns 19 on Aug. 22, pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated battery. He faced up to 30 years in prison; under Florida sentencing guidelines, the minimum sentence would have been 34.5 months, just under three years. The sentencing hearing, initially held in May, was postponed by Judge Terence Perkins to allow for additional witness testimony. Prosecutors and Naydich both sought a longer prison term. “Brendan Depa’s actions that day has caused me to lose a job that I had for almost 19 years, lose my financial security, lose my health insurance,” Naydich said in testimony reported by Click Orlando. A psychologist testified that Depa is aggressive and that his actions were intentional, according to the local news outlet. However, his defense argued that Depa has autism spectrum disorder and that his known disabilities and triggers can lead to outbursts. Depa's mother stated that he has a history of violent reactions to certain situations. “I had told the school that being hungry was a trigger, that noise was a trigger, that being told no was a trigger, that being corrected in front of other people was a trigger, and electronics was a huge trigger,” she told the judge during testimony. Following the sentencing, Depa's mother alleged that racial bias influenced the prison term. "They are punishing that he is black, they are punishing that he is large and they are punishing his disability," she said, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. She also alleged that the school district failed Depa and that his behavioral plan was not followed. "I think he needs help. Absolutely. I think he needs help. And I think he needs treatment but I don't think he needs to be put away in a prison where he's going to be taken advantage of or harmed," Leanne Depa said. Earlier this year, the Depa family filed a lawsuit against Flagler County schools, accusing the district of failing to properly address his behavioral and mental health issues. The legal filing states that “the district should be held to account for its failures which have forever changed the trajectory of this young man’s life.”Brendan Depa, the autistic Florida teenager whose assault on teacher’s aide Joan Naydich gained widespread attention last year, has been sentenced to five years in state prison, followed by 15 years of probation.
