Mother of 6ft 6in boy who beat instructor says ‘jail is demise sentence’

The mom of a 6-foot 6-inch autistic teenager who viscously beat a instructor aide unconscious in Florida has claimed jail is a ‘demise sentence’ for her son.

Leanne Depa spoke out for the primary time since Brendan Depa, then 17, violently attacked Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in February after he was advised to cease taking part in on his Nintendo Switch.

The teenager, now 18, was seen punching and kicking the educator within the again and head till she lay on the bottom unconscious. He pleaded no contest as an grownup for first-degree aggravated battery.

‘I’m terrified for my youngster,’ Leanne advised NewsNation’s Banfield via tears. ‘I really feel like if he will get sentenced to jail, it’s a demise sentence for him.

She apologized to Naydich for the assault however pleaded for her to ‘present mercy’ after the sufferer referred to as on {the teenager} to be locked up for the utmost of 30 years. 

Brendan is about to be sentenced for the assault on Naydich during which she suffered 5 damaged ribs, a extreme concussion and lack of listening to in one in all her ears.

The instructor’s aide alleged she was positioned on an unpaid depart of absence shortly after returning to work in August beneath a special title and has been surviving on charity from the group. Her gofundme marketing campaign has raised $120,000 to date.

Naydich has been vocal in her requires {the teenager} to face the harshest potential sentence. 

But his mom Leanne has begged her to indicate him mercy. ‘I’m so sorry for what my son did,’ she stated. 

‘Nobody ought to ever should undergo that however on the identical time however please take into account he has had a tough life and he has gone via a lot trauma in his life.

‘He has autism. Please present mercy to him.’

She added: ‘He’s scared and to have your youngster name and cry and say I don’t need to die, it’s terrible.

‘It’s devastating that my coronary heart is breaking.’

Leanne has questioned why Brendan was charged as an grownup and stated she was advised his extreme autism was not a protection.

‘He was initially charged as a juvenile and two days later he was direct filed and his [autism] was not thought of,’ she stated. 

‘My understanding is that autism shouldn’t be a protection and it will possibly’t even be thought of till the sentencing section.’ 

Leanne doesn’t perceive why her son’s Nintendo Switch was allowed to be a part of his day and that earlier makes an attempt to take away it from him resulted in a disaster workforce being referred to as. 

‘That’s one thing I ask on daily basis and I don’t perceive why,’ she stated. 

‘In his IEP it was acknowledged that within the intensive conduct group dwelling that he was dwelling in, in the event that they ever needed to take away it as a consequence, they referred to as within the disaster workforce.

‘The unique IEP referred to as for a token financial system to encourage him to do his work so he might earn tokens to go to issues like a snack closet.

‘This yr he had a brand new instructor. It was her first yr educating and I don’t know if she didn’t perceive the IEP, or if she didn’t learn it.

‘But she approached the group dwelling and requested the group dwelling to ship it in.’

She added that she didn’t need to ship him to public faculty however had no alternative. 

‘He initially was in an autism behavioral hospital again earlier than Covid hit. He was positioned in a behavioral group dwelling and I questioned it at first,’ Leanne stated. 

‘I had all the time home-schooled him as a result of he didn’t deal with the varsity surroundings. I requested the group dwelling, did he should go to public faculty, might he not do faculty on-line. 

‘I used to be assured by them that each one their purchasers went to public faculty.

‘So despite the fact that he was a stage six, I by no means thought he belonged in public faculty. I didn’t have a alternative.’ 

Naydich beforehand advised Fox35: ‘I used to be attacked on February twenty first and I really feel like I’m simply continually being attacked.

The educator stated she has been struggling to get her staff’ compensation case resolved.

She claimed she returned to work in August beneath a special title however was positioned on unpaid depart only a few days later.

Naydich stated she is annoyed with the shortage of help from the Flagler County School District. She additionally revealed she has not watched the harrowing video of her beating because it was launched and doesn’t need to.

Naydich stated Brendan was offended with one other member of employees who didn’t permit him to play on his Nintendo Switch.

She confirmed she didn’t take his system from him earlier than the assault.

She has visited a number of totally different medical doctors who’re trying to find a analysis for a number of the neurological signs she now has.

‘Everybody that is aware of me or knew me [before the attack], is aware of that I’m a completely totally different particular person now,’ she stated. ‘My entire life was simply turned the wrong way up.’

Naydich claimed her speech has slowed, she has points with endurance and continuously has problem with routine cognitive capabilities.

‘Unfortunately, a variety of my accidents that aren’t seen I’m going to have for the remainder of my life,’ she added.

Brendan has pleaded no contest to the cost and now faces a sentence of as much as 30 years in jail which is what Naydich needs.

She stated she is prepared to talk up on the courtroom listening to if vital.

‘I need to be sure that he’s not capable of stroll the streets freely,’ she added.

‘I do not know what closure appears like proper now. I simply need to be entire once more.’

Brendan had three prior battery arrests earlier than the February assault and was in a jail battle in September, the Post reported.

He was led shackled into courtroom in Florida sporting an orange jumpsuit on October 30 to plea to the fees. The minimal beneficial jail sentence is simply in need of three years.

His lawyer, Kurt Teifke, sought to have him declared incompetent to face trial, as a result of he’s autistic.

A court-appointed psychologist discovered Brendan was in truth competent to face trial and Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will determined his destiny early subsequent yr.

Brendan’s household had hoped to attenuate or get rid of jail time altogether and as a substitute concentrate on probation and therapy for his or her son, however the prosecution seems to have been unwilling to barter.

Naydich has additionally ‘proven no real interest in mitigating what penalties Depa would possibly face’.

He is at present being held on the Flagler County Jail on $1 million bond and his sentencing listening to is scheduled for January 31.