The Florida high school teacher seen in a viral video being beaten unconscious by a student has been forced to live off of donations after being physically and mentally injured and is calling for the maximum sentence for her attacker.
“Everybody that knows me or knew me [before the attack] knows that I’m a totally different person now,” Joan Naydich, the former Matanzas High School paraprofessional, told Fox 35 Tuesday. “My whole life was just turned upside down.”
It was February 21, 2023, when the 57-year-old teacher was viciously assaulted by then-17-year-old Brendan Depa, who stands at six feet, six inches tall, and weighs in at 270 pounds, Breitbart News reported at the time.
Depa, who is autistic, became enraged after another teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch game console, and he attacked Naydich without warning, reports the New York Post.
Surveillance video from the incident quickly went viral, showing how the teen brutally threw Naydich to the floor before raining kicks and punches to the back of her head as she lied motionless.
The assault left Naydich with five broken ribs, a severe concussion, and hearing loss, she told Fox 35. Her speech has slowed, as she now suffers from ongoing cognitive issues.
“She said since the attack, she’s been back and forth to several doctors who are looking for a diagnosis for some of the neurological symptoms she’s faced,” the local outlet noted.
“Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” Naydich said.
Naydich has lost her source of income after being forced onto unpaid leave by Flagler County School District. On top of losing her job, she also said she is struggling to get workers’ compensation.
Without any steady income, she is relying on a GoFundMe page launched on her behalf soon after the attack, which has so far raised more than $120,000.
Depa, now 18, was tried as an adult and pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery in October, giving the judge the ability to sentence him to serve up to 30 years in prison.
Naydich refuses to help his defense seek a lighter sentence, telling Fox 35 that she wants her attacker to get the maximum punishment.
“I want to make sure he is not able to walk the streets freely,” she told the station, adding that she is willing to take the stand to ensure that outcome.
The teen had been arrested for battery on three separate occasions before his attack on Naydich.
Judge Terrence Perkins is set to sentence Depa in a January proceeding that will include testimony from both the prosecution and defense.
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