Brendan Depa, accused in attack on Matanzas High School aide, moved to Flagler County jail

Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
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Brendan J. Depa, whose beating of a teacher's aide at Matanzas High School was captured in a viral video, was transferred to the Flagler County jail from Jacksonville and has a hearing next week.

Depa was transferred when he turned 18 on Aug. 22. The Flagler County jail does not have housing for juveniles, so he was being held at the Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Jacksonville.

Depa has a pre-trial hearing set for 2:30 p.m. Thursday before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell.

He was charged with aggravated battery on a school board employee, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, in an attack on paraprofessional Joan Naydich. He was being held on $1 million bond.

Depa attacked Naydich on Feb. 21, a beating that was caught on a school security video and went viral.

Roger Davis, a psychologist appointed by the court, testified at a hearing in June that Depa was mentally competent to stand trial. Davis also testified that Depa had been diagnosed previously with autism spectrum disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Dr. Jessica Anderton, a psychologist called by the defense, said Depa was not competent to proceed. Judge Perkins ruled that Depa was mentally competent to proceed.

In this file photo, Brendan Depa speaks with his defense team, Friday, June 16, 2023, before the start of his competency hearing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell.
In this file photo, Brendan Depa speaks with his defense team, Friday, June 16, 2023, before the start of his competency hearing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell.

The beating

In the attack, the video shows a male identified as Depa walking quickly up to Naydich, knocking her off her feet and onto the floor, and beating her as she lay unresponsive. People intervened and separated Depa from Naydich.

Depa later threatened to kill her as he was being led away, the arrest affidavit states.

While the affidavit stated that Depa was upset because Naydich took away his Nintendo Switch, Naydich has since said that she did not take the game from him.

The video of that attack on Naydich received international attention. A GoFundMe established for Naydich has received more than $100,000 in donations along with many notes of encouragement and support for the teacher's aide.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ex-student accused in attack on Palm Coast aide moved to Flagler jail