The mother of a Florida teen who beat a teacher's aide unconscious after his Nintendo Switch was taken away claims prison time would be a "death sentence" for her son.
Brendan Depa, who's reported to be 6 feet 6 inches tall and 122kg, violently attacked Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in February.
The then-17-year-old was filmed slamming Naydich to the ground before punching and kicking her motionless body several times. The attack left her with five broken ribs, hearing loss and a severe concussion.
He pleaded no contest as an adult for first-degree aggravated battery and faces up to 30 years behind bars when he's sentenced in January.
Now his mother Leanne Depa has spoken out and begged for her son to be given a lighter punishment.
"I am so sorry for what my son did and nobody should ever have to go through that," she said through tears during an appearance this week on NewsNation's Banfield.
"But at the same time, please consider that my son has had a hard life and he's gone through so much trauma in his life. He has autism. Please show mercy to him."
According to the New York Post, Brendan has severe autism, ADHD, oppositional defiance disorder and reactive explosive disorder.
Leanne questioned why he was placed in a public school despite earlier being in an autism behavioural hospital.
"I had always home-schooled him because he didn't handle the school environment. I asked the group home, did he have to go to public school, could he not do school online," she told NewsNation.
"I never thought he belonged in public school. I didn't have a choice."
Naydich has said she still struggles with neurological symptoms and she wants Brendan sentenced to the maximum of 30 years behind bars so "he is not able to walk the streets freely".
But Leanne has pleaded for her son to be given mercy.
"I feel like if he gets sentenced to prison, it's a death sentence for him. He's scared. And to have your child call and cry and say, 'I don't want to die' - it's awful," she said.
