Is this the first case of a white victim of black crime not being an advocate of the justice system going soft on the latter?
Florida teacher beaten unconscious by 270-pound student living off donations after being put on unpaid leave, by Selim Algar, NY Post, November 15, 2023
The Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a hulking teen student over a video game said she’s now forced to live off donations—and wants no mercy shown for her attacker at his upcoming sentencing.
“Everybody that knows me or knew me [before the attack] knows that I’m a totally different person now,” Joan Naydich told Fox 35. “My whole life was just turned upside down.”
Then 17 years old and standing 6 feet 6, Brendan Depa assaulted the paraprofessional inside Matanzas High School in February, leaving her with five broken ribs, a severe concussion and hearing loss.
Naydich told the station that she wants Depa sentenced to a maximum of 30 years behind bars for the stomach-churning incident that left her physically and emotionally broken.
Naydich said her speech has slowed and that she suffers 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 said.
Compounding her physical ailments, Naydich said she is struggling to get her workers’ compensation case resolved and has 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, according to Fox 35.
Without any steady income, she is 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 has autism, became enraged after a teacher confiscated his Nintendo Switch.
Without warning, he attacked Naydich from behind, throwing her to the floor and raining kicks and punches on 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 from probation to the maximum of three decades behind bars.
Naydich told Fox 35 that she wants 30 years—and is willing to take the stand to help ensure that outcome.
“I want to make sure he is not able to walk the streets freely,” she told the station.
Scheduled for January, the proceeding will include testimony for both the prosecution and defense.
“Hulking teen,” is quite the adjective to describe a near 300-pound black teen who tried to kill a white woman over a video game. There’s a lesson for White America in this story…
