Brendan Depa attacked his teacher over a Nintendo Switch video game system in an early 2023 viral video. He has autism and a whole host of other mental disorders that make him a significant risk to everyone around him, as he has committed previous assaults. Taking away his video game system was a documented trigger that could cause him to snap. Unfortunately, the school he was placed in was not prepared and/or not fully informed about his disabilities.
Depa was 17 at the time and bigger than most adults at 6 six foot six and well over three hundred pounds. When a teacher’s aide took his Switch away, Depa launched into a brutal attack that left the teacher unconscious and badly injured. He was arrested, jailed, and ultimately sentenced to five years in prison with 15 years of supervised release probation.
Depa’s foster mother says he should be able to come home with her. She also states that he has the mind of a six-year-old due to his multiple mental issues. Some people believe that Depa’s mental state should place him in a mental institution instead of prison. The judge in the case said the video showed senseless and brutal violence that is inexcusable; therefore, the prison sentence was handed down.
SOURCES:
Florida Teen Who Attacked Teacher’s Aide Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Florida teen who beat teacher’s aide sentenced to 5 years in prison
Teen Sentenced to Prison for Attacking Teacher’s Aide
Hulking Florida teen, Brendan Depa, sentenced to five years in prison for attacking teacher over Nintendo Switch
Mom of Florida teen who beat teacher ‘devastated’ over prison sentence
Florida student caught on camera battering teacher’s aide gets jail time | WFLA
Moment 6ft 6in hulking schoolboy’s adoptive mom breaks down in tears asking judge for leniency after he beat up teacher who took his Nintendo Switch amid outrage as judge gives him five years | Daily Mail Online
