The Florida teacher filmed being beaten senseless by a 270 pound student last year has refused to support a lighter sentence for the teen.
Matanzas High School’s Joan Naydich, 58, made the declaration Friday, as activists continue to fight for lesser sentence for the autistic high schooler, 18-year-old Brendan Depa
The attack happened at Matanzas High School in February, when another teacher confiscated the 6’6″ student’s Nintendo Switch.
Seventeen at the time, Depa – upon realizing it was Naydich who tipped of the teacher – was filmed chasing the teacher’s aide down the hall, before shoving her to the floor and punching her to the point of unconsciousness.
The footage quickly upset much of the nation, and is set to be used as evidence this month when Depa stands trial. He will be tried as an adult, with punishments ranging from probation to 30 years of jailtime.
Scroll down for video:
Joan Naydich, a 58-year-old teacher filmed being beaten senseless by an autistic student early last year, said in an interview this week that she wants him to receive the maximum amount of years possible when he is tried at the end of the month. Naydich is seen here with her own son
Now 18 but 17 at the time, Brendan Depa carried out the attack on the teacher’s aide after she told his primary instructor that he had been distracting other students by using an electronic gaming device on school grounds. Behind bars for nearly a year, he will stand trial January 31
In comments to The New York Post, a still-traumatized Naydich – who was left with five broken ribs following the attack – explained why she wants the high-schooler to receive the max sentence.
‘He definitely needs to be in jail,’ Naydich told the paper Friday, citing how she’s lost her income, health insurance, and benefits after being inexplicably put on unpaid leave in the wake of the still-viral attack.
‘He needs to be in jail for what he did to me,’ she continued. ‘I’m in my own jail of sorts every single day I wake up.’
The longtime Flagler County School District staffer – placed on an unpaid leave in August – proceeded to claim that Depa’s supporters, including his adoptive mother, were overstating his limitations.
‘He’s not autistic like everybody believes he is,’ she said, arguing the attack was premeditated and the result of a plot by the hulking teen.
“They are painting a picture of him that he’s not able to think for himself,’ she contineud, as Depa remains locked up ahead of of his looming January 31 trial.
‘He’s working on his GED in jail and he almost has it,’ she said. ‘His mother has painted a picture of him that he’s incapable of putting socks on.’
The attack happened at Matanzas High School in February, after Naydich confiscated the 6’6″ student’s Nintendo Switch
The mother of a 6-foot 6-inch autistic teenager – has claimed prison is a ‘death sentence’ for her son
In comments to The New York Post , a still-traumatized Naydich – seen here after suffering five broken ribs as a result of the attack – explained why she wants the high-schooler to receive the max sentence.
‘He definitely needs to be in jail,’ Naydich told the paper Friday, citing how she’s lost her income, health insurance, and benefits after being put on leave in the wake of the attack
‘He needs to be in jail for what he did to me,’ she continued. ‘I’m in my own jail of sorts every single day I wake up’
Claiming her speech has slowed and that she now has difficulty with routine cognitive functions, Naydich maintains the youngster knew what he was doing
The claim, while hyperbole, is not far off.
Since the attack, Leanne Depa has fiercely maintained her son’s actions were not his own fault, but the school district’s – since his Individualized Education Plan (IEP) specifically stipulated he shouldn’t have had an electronic device at the time.
That’s because the youngster would likely rage if such an item were taken away – a forecast that unfortunately came to fruition this past February 21
Making her case in a slew of TV spots and interviews with the media, the Tampa pediatric therapist spoke to the Post as well, laying bare her qualms with how the Flagler County Attorney’s office has framed the incident.
‘This should never have been a criminal case,’ she argued, claiming the boy’s actions were a direct result of his disabilities and staffers’ failure to adhere to his school-approved plan.
‘I’m not blaming Joan,’ she went on, referencing the victim, who has vehemently fought for a maximum sentence since Day One.
Categorizing the crime as a result of ‘a systemic problem’, Leanne said: ‘In no way do I blame Joan for what happened. I blame the district.
‘There is not enough funding and there’s a shortage of paraprofessionals.’
Since the attack, Leanne Depa – seen here in one of many TV spots defending her son – has fiercely maintained his actions were not his fault, but the district’s – since his Individualized Education Plan specifically stipulated he shouldn’t have had an electronic device at the time
That’s because the youngster would likely rage if such an item were taken away – a forecast that unfortunately came to fruition this past February 21, when the attack occurred
The 58-year-old met Depa in January 2022 when she began assisting his primary teacher. She learned that he was adopted as a young child before being sent to live in a group home
Calling more jail time a ‘death sentence’ for her son – who has long had rage issues – Leanne has been joined by countless activists in her repeated calls for mercy.
She adopted Depa when he was just six months old, though only started giving him medication a few years ago – after several manic outbursts.
But his condition only worsened with the new substances, she said, telling the Post that the-then 14-year-old’s behavior quickly became a nightmare.’
This led Leanne to place him in an autism hospital in South Carolina in late 2019, where he was was ultimately discharged roughly a year later.
However, citing the teen’s unpredictable behavior, Depa said she was hesitant to bring him back into her home, due to her husband having serious heart issues at the time, leaving him at particular risk if the teen ever snapped.
That led her to drop him off a Palm Coast group home in November 2020, where he remained for more than a year until the home elected to send Depa to a traditional public high school.
Leanne has said she disagreed with this decision, but that the home had the final say.
By the 2022 school year, Depa was a student at Matanzas High School, assigned to a special-ed class.
School officials and Depa’s parents proceeded to put together a specific education plan for the youngster, which included working with him as a paraprofessional in addition to his main teacher.
The Rhode Island native, pictured with her two children, moved to Palm Coast and worked in the Flagler County School District starting in 2003. She claims to still bears physical and mental scars from the attack
Depa faces a prison term of up to 30 years. His sentencing will be held January 31
Naydich filled that position in February of 2022, about a year before the filmed attack.
Her first encounter with Depa, however, came in January 2022, when she said she became acutely aware that he was troubled.
‘He would try to intimidate,’ she told the Post. ‘But during that school year it never got to the point where he became violent. It was just verbal.’
She learned that Depa was particularly fond of video games and sensitive to criticism about his classroom performance, and would often accuse her of ‘spying’ on his school file.
On the day of attack, the teen was irritated that he had to wait for other students to arrive before heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. He told Naydich that he hadn’t been given dinner the night before.
After eating, Depa headed to his regular special needs class, where his main teacher generally allowed him to use his Nintendo Switch if he completed his work.
Naydich walked him to his next class, where there was a substitute. Depa pulled out his gaming console, distracting some of the other students and prompting her to demand he put it away.
The teen obliged but procured it again towards the end of the period.
Naydich then texted his primary teacher, telling her that it would be wise for Depa to not bring the console into the same class moving forward.
‘Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life,’ Naydich recently explained. ‘I have no idea what closure looks like right now. I just want to be whole again’
Upon returning to his regular classroom, Depa realized Naydich had informed the teacher what had happened in the previous class when she broached the issue and grew enraged.
‘That’s when he started calling me names,’ Naydich said. ‘B**ch. W**re. This and that.’
She grabbed her backpack and sweatshirt in preparation to leave the room, as ‘the energy changed in there.’
Depa spat in her face as she headed to the door. As she turned to open it, he knocked her unconscious.
Nearly a year later, she still bears physical and mental scars from the attack. Her speech has slowed and she often struggles with routine cognitive functions.
Doctors are attempting to pin down a diagnosis for some of her symptoms.
‘Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life,’ Naydich explained.
‘I have no idea what closure looks like right now. I just want to be whole again.’
Of her attacker, she said: ‘I want to make sure he is not able to walk the streets freely.’
Depa faces a prison term of up to 30 years. His sentencing will be held January 31.