Brendan Depa, then 17, assaulted his high school teacher, Joan Naydich, in February after she instructed him to stop playing his Nintendo Switch in class.
Depa, who weighs 270 pounds, was caught on film repeatedly kicking and striking the instructor in the back at Matanzas High School until officials intervened.
After the altercation, Naydich was rendered unconscious and sent to the hospital for treatment.
Depa also allegedly threatened to kill the high school teacher after his arrest.
Depa, who is now 18, was charged with a first-degree felony of aggravated violence and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Depa was first accused as a juvenile, which would have resulted in a reduced sentence. He has subsequently been elevated to adulthood, and the New York Post reports that he is planning to plead guilty in order to avoid jail time.
Meanwhile, Flagler Live reports that Naydich has “shown no interest in mitigating what penalties Depa might face” and that the kid was involved in a brawl in jail only last month.
According to the Post, Depa had a past criminal record prior to his attack on the instructor earlier this year, including three battery offenses.
It was earlier rumored that Naydich personally confiscated Depa’s Nintendo Switch; however, she has denied doing so in several interviews.
Following the incident, a GoFundMe campaign was created for the instructor in order to provide “support and encouragement.”
More than $100,000 has been collected so far, with the instructor writing, “I’m hopeful that the awareness of this incident being spread far and wide will prevent anyone else from ever dealing with the trauma, physical healing, and disruption of everyday life that this has caused.”
Jessica White Leon, the fundraiser’s organizer, stated on the GoFundMe page that Naydich has yet to return to school following the event.
She mentioned the attack’s ‘crippling mental impact’ on the instructor in recent months.
Depa is scheduled to enter his plea later this month and will be sentenced in a separate session.
According to the New York Post, the high school where the incident occurred has been plagued by violence in recent years.