Jailhouse Letter: Hulking Florida Teen Who Beat Teacher's Aide Over Nintendo Switch Declares He Made a 'Mistake' He Will 'Never Let Happen Again'
Brendan Depa can be seen in the security footage brutally attacking and stomping on the teacher's aide.
Aug. 15 2024, Published 2:35 p.m. ET
The Florida high school student who brutally attacked a teacher's aide over a Nintendo Switch wrote an apology letter to the victim admitting to making a "mistake" he vowed never to repeat, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Aug. 6, Brendan Depa, 18, was sentenced to five years in prison for felony aggravated battery after his attack on paraprofessional Joan Naydich in February 2023 at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast.
Depa's tutor said he wrote this letter on his own and he made no changes to it.
In the letter titled "Apology", which was obtained by NewsNation but never read in court, Depa wrote: "Many people have claimed that I feel no remorse for the incident of last year, and that I don’t take responsibility for my actions.
"This is not true: I am extremely sorry for injuring Miss Joan so severely and I am happy to see the injuries I inflicted did not leave any permanent scars or bruises."
Since the incident, Depa has been working with a tutor, Gene Lopes, who reportedly has been encouraging the teen to work on understanding the effects of his actions.
The video of the brutal attack in 2023.
Lopes said: "He wrote this himself. Brendan is a gifted writer, as you can see from this. So this was all him."
Security cameras at the school captured Depa running toward the paraprofessional, who turns and sees Depa right before he shoves her to the ground.
Depa repeatedly stomps on the unconscious educator before punching her 15 times. Several staff members then head in to remove him from Naydich and hold him on the floor.
Depa can be seen punching the paraprofessional, who is unconscious on the floor.
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The teen added in his letter: "I recognize what I did was wrong and take responsibility for my actions. I deeply regret allowing my emotions to get the best of me and letting things happen the way that they did."
During the sentencing, Judge Terence Perkins said Depa had no remorse for the attack and noted it wasn't an isolated incident, as the teen has had numerous battery charges in the past.
Depa, however, argued in his letter that the attack in February 2023 and the subsequent conviction should not define him.
Many staff members came to the paraprofessional's help, all working to get Depa off of her.
He continued: "In a choice between letting this incident destroy, define or strengthen me, I have chosen to let it strengthen me. During my incarceration, I have learned coping skills to ensure something like this never happens again.
"I made a mistake – one I will never let happen again – and I am sorry."
After the sentencing hearing, Depa's adoptive mother, Leanne, alleged her son was being punished because "he is black, they are punishing that he is large and they are punishing his disability".
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She told the Daytona Beach News-Journal: "I think he needs help, and I think he needs treatment. But I don’t think he needs to be put away in a prison where he's going to be taken advantage of or harmed."
Depa has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD and mood disorder, according to officials.
His mother said she has received multiple offers from hospitals and group homes that are willing to take her son as an alternative to jail.
She told NewsNation: "He’s scared. To have your child call and cry and say, 'I don’t want to die' – it’s awful."
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