A Florida teacher, who was beaten unconscious by a 270 pound student over a video game, claims she is now forced to live off donations.
“Everybody that knows me or knew me before the attack, knows that I’m a totally different person now,” Joan Naydich explained during an interview. “My whole life was just turned upside down.”
Brendan Depa, a 17-year old boy that is 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 said, “I want him sentenced to a maximum of 30 years behind bars for what he put me through. He left me physically and emotionally broken. My speech has slowed and I suffer from ongoing cognitive problems.”
“Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” she added. “I’m struggling to get my worker’s compensation and I’ve been all, but abandoned by the Flagler County School District since the attack.”
Naydich returned to the school under a different title in August but was then placed on an unpaid leave of absence.
Without any steady income, she is now relying on donations and assistance from the community to stay afloat.
A GoFundMe account launched after the attack has so far raised roughly $106,000.
Depa, who officials said is autistic, became enraged after a teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch.
Without any warning, he attacked Naydich from behind, throwing her to the floor, punching and kicking multiple times with force to her back and head.
The beating, which left her motionless on the floor, was captured on 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 hit Depa with a term of anywhere between probation to the maximum of three decades behind bars.
“I want to make sure he is not able to walk the streets freely,” Naydich said. “He is not safe to remain in society around others. What if he snaps and hurts another innocent victim?”
Scheduled for January, the proceeding will include testimony for both the prosecution and defense. Depa’s attorneys have highlighted his mental deficits and argued he wasn’t competent to stand trial before Perkins rejected the argument before his plea.
Now 18, Depa was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the raps were upgraded. The teen had three prior battery arrests before the attack on Naydich.
