This is the case of Brendan J Depa, a former student at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, who brutally assaulted a teacher’s aide in February 2023.
The attack, which was captured on a school security video and went viral on social media, showed Depa punching and kicking Joan Naydich, a 57-year-old paraprofessional, who fell unconscious after hitting her head on the floor.
Depa, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, was charged with aggravated battery on a school board employee, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.