The Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a large teenage student over a video game said she is now forced to live off donations and wants no mercy shown to her attacker at her upcoming sentencing.
“Everyone who knows me or knew me [before the attack]”He knows I’m a totally different person now,” Joan Naydich told Fox 35. “My whole life turned upside down.”
Brendan Depa, then 17 years old and 6 feet 6 inches tall, assaulted the paraprofessional inside Matanzas High School in February, leaving her with five broken ribs, a severe concussion and hearing loss.
Naydich told the station she wants Depa to be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years behind bars for the stomach-churning incident that left her physically and emotionally devastated.
Naydich said his speech has become slower and he suffers from ongoing cognitive problems.
“Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I will have for the rest of my life,” he said.
Compounding her physical ailments, Naydich said she is fighting to get her workers’ compensation case resolved and that the Flagler County School District has all but abandoned her since the attack.
Naydich suffered five broken ribs and a concussion in the attack. Flagler County S Naydich wants Depa to get the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Joan Naydich
Naydich returned to school with a different title in August, but was later placed on unpaid leave, according to Fox 35.
Without any stable income, he now relies on donations and assistance from the community to stay afloat.
A GoFundMe account opened after the attack has so far raised approximately $106,000.
Brendan Depa was left furious after a teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch. Nigel Cook/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Depa, who authorities say is autistic, became enraged after a teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch.
Without warning, he attacked Naydich from behind, knocking her to the ground and raining down kicks and punches on her back and head.
The beating, which left her motionless on the ground, was captured by surveillance cameras and quickly went viral.
Depa pleaded guilty to the attack last month and Naydich has since refused to help his defense seek a lighter sentence.
Judge Terrence Perkins can impose a sentence on Depa ranging from probation to a maximum of three decades behind bars.
Naydich told Fox 35 that she wants a maximum of 30 years and is willing to take the stand to help ensure that outcome.
“I want to make sure he can’t walk freely on the streets,” he told the station.
Scheduled for January, the proceedings will include testimony from both the prosecution and defense.
Joan Naydich told Fox 35 that she has been placed on unpaid leave. David Tucker\News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Depa’s lawyers highlighted his mental deficits and argued that he was not competent to stand trial before Perkins rejected the argument before his plea.
Depa, now 18, was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the abuse escalated.
The teen had three arrests for assault before the attack on Naydich.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn