Female Teacher Assaulted for Taking Game Console During Class
198cm, 122kg Sturdy Build... No Remorse for Crime
"Punished Because He's Black," Mother Claims Injustice
A teenager who indiscriminately assaulted a female teacher until she lost consciousness for confiscating a game console was sentenced to five years in prison.
Brenden Depa assaulting a teacher for taking away his game console. Photo by Florida Police Department
On the 6th (local time), the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a local media outlet in Florida, reported that Terrence Perkins, a circuit court judge, sentenced Brendan Depa (then 17, now 18) to five years in state prison and 15 years of probation for the incident in which he assaulted a teacher and caused her to lose consciousness one and a half years ago.
Depa was arrested by the police on charges including injury and aggravated assault after indiscriminately assaulting female assistant teacher Joan Naidich at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, in February last year while he was enrolled there.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident shows Depa, who is 198 cm tall and weighs nearly 122 kg, assaulting the female teacher until she loses consciousness. Even after the teacher lost consciousness, Depa continued to beat her with his feet and fists. Depa stated that he committed the crime out of anger after the teacher confiscated a Nintendo game console, a product of the Japanese company Nintendo, during class.
Regarding this case, the judge said, "An extremely concerning form of reckless and extreme violence was captured." He added, "The defendant shouted obscene words in addition to physical violence and spat at the victim before and during the assault." He further explained the sentencing by saying, "The defendant chased the victim down the hallway, pushed her from behind causing her to fly through the air, and made her fall to the hallway floor, causing her to lose consciousness. The defendant then kicked the victim, climbed on top of her, and assaulted her head and body more than 15 times. Despite this, the defendant has never expressed remorse."
Despite the judge's ruling, Depa and his parents showed no signs of remorse. As she left the courtroom, his mother, Lianne Depa, expressed her grievance, saying, "My son was punished because he is Black, because he is big, and because he has a disability. I believe my son needs help and treatment, not a prison where he will be exploited or harmed." Upon hearing the verdict, Depa tilted his head back, expressing a complicated emotion.
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