Warning: This article contains content which some readers may find distressing.
A student responsible for an assault that resulted in severe injuries to a teaching assistant wrote an apology letter ahead of his sentencing, which concluded with a five-year prison term.
At 17 years old, Brendan Depa assaulted teaching assistant Joan Naydich, 59, causing her to suffer five broken ribs, hearing loss, and a concussion.
The incident occurred in February 2023 at Palm Coast’s Matanzas High School after Naydich allegedly threatened to confiscate a Nintendo DS from the teenager.
Depa, diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and a mood disorder, penned an apology letter, although it was not read aloud in court.
In the letter, shared with NewsNation, he wrote: “Many people have claimed that I feel no remorse for the incident of last year and that I don’t take responsibility for my actions.”
“This is not true; I am extremely sorry for injuring Miss Joan so severely, and I am happy to see the injuries I inflicted did not leave any permanent scars or bruises.”
“In addition, I recognize what I did was wrong and take responsibility for my actions.”
“I deeply regret allowing my emotions to get the best of me and letting things happen the way that they did.”
He continued: “I believe what I did should not define who I am. In a choice between letting this incident destroy, define, or strengthen me, I have chosen to let it strengthen me.”
“During my incarceration I have learned coping skills to ensure something like this never happens again.”
“I have grown and matured in ways otherwise impossible, making me not happy I have been incarcerated, but nonetheless grateful.”
“My eyes have been opened to skills and strategies I would otherwise have been blind to.”
He concluded: “I made a mistake – one I will never let happen again – and I am sorry.”
Leann Depa, his adoptive mother, stated that she had warned the school about her son’s triggers, particularly emphasizing that ‘electronics’ was his most significant trigger.
She said: “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.”
Depa’s legal team has also filed a lawsuit against the school district for negligence, describing the teenager as a ‘ticking time bomb’.
Naydich has spoken about the long-term consequences of the assault, which led to her losing her job and health insurance.
She said: “Every day is a challenge. I have lived every day since with the repercussions of it, the assault of it, whether it be hearing loss that I have, vision loss, headaches.”
She added: “Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life.”
During the sentencing, Depa’s mother pleaded with the judge to place him under house arrest instead of prison. She said: “I knew Brendan and I knew his triggers and I knew his needs and his strengths and I beg you to let him come home with me.”
Depa was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised probation post-release.
Leann Depa described the prison sentence as a ‘death sentence,’ suggesting that her son was being treated harshly due to his race, size, and disability.
She told NewsNation: “He’s scared. To have your child call and cry and say ‘I don’t want to die’ — it’s awful.”
Psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere commented that both the student and the teaching assistant are victims of a larger systemic failure.
He told NewsNation: “This is about the failing of our society, the failings of the schools. This is a person with severe autism. This is the diagnosis in addition to other mental health issues.”
“So if you see aggression here, it’s because we’re not taking care of the needs of this individual.”