The case of Brendan Depa caught worldwide attention when the 17-year-old former Matanzas High School special education student brutalized his paraprofessional after an issue with his gaming console on Feb. 21.
Depa was first charged as a juvenile, then, as video of the attack circulated the globe–and before his status as a severely autistic student was acknowledged by authorities–as an adult who now faces 30 years in prison if convicted.
Two violent assaults against school staff involving similarly, profoundly disabled students, never before reported in detail until today–and not caught on surveillance video–point to startling if not shocking disparities in how cases may be handled and how the students may be disciplined, depending on the circumstances and the attention they garner.
“The disparate treatment of Depa as compared to other, similar cases is unconscionable, and terrifying to parents who pray that their kid won’t be next,” said Stephen Furnari, a business owner, a lawyer and the chairman of Flagler County’s ESE Parent Advisory Council, which collaborates with the school district on ensuring best practices involving students with disabilities. “EPAC hopes we can all learn from this unfortunate incident to better support community members with disabilities.”
One of the assaults was at Flagler Palm Coast High School, the other at Matanzas High School. Neither generated attention at the time of their occurrence.
In April 2019, John Willford was an 18-year-old Exceptional Student Education student at Flagler Palm Coast High School and. Like Depa, he had a severe autism disability. Like Depa, he was a resident at an East Coast Habilitations Options (ECHO) group home for people with severe developmental and intellectual disabilities. The home is on Palmer Lane in Palm Coast.
Like Depa, a conflict over an electronic device–an iPad, in this case–triggered a confrontation. But as with Depa, Willford’s teachers had been raising concerns about his behavior for months before the assaults.
Jake Gambone, a paraprofessional, had asked Willford to stop using an iPad. Willford “then grabbed a pen and stabbed me in the shoulder with it,” Gambone reported in one of several sworn statements to police about the incident, obtained by FlaglerLive. “He tried to stab me again but I was able to block his arm and disarm him. He then kicked me in the shin several times and threatened to ‘beat my ass.’ He then began to hit me with a closed fist in the chest and face. I was able to block some of his swings and put him in a chair.”
Like Depa, Willford was a large man, at 5’8” and weighing 200 pounds.
As others heard the assault, Robert Rhoades, a para-specialist, walked in toward Willford and tried to calm him down. “When I approached him,” Rhoades reported, “he said ‘get the fuck out of my face before I punch you in the face.’ Right after that he swung to hit me in my face but I moved and he hit me in my shoulder.” As Rhoades and Gambone attempted to restrain the student, Willford tried to bite two female faculty members who were helping in the restraint.
More faculty members streamed in, including Mike Rinaldi, an assistant principal at the time (he’s now at Belle Terre Elementary). Willford, he reported, “kicked me in the knees repeatedly while threatening to ‘kill me’ and ‘fuck me up.'” He was placed in a chair hold to prevent other teachers and students from being injured, continuing to threaten other staff with bodily harm.
Willford “also began to threaten us and said he was going to kill all of us,” Gambone reported–echoing the very threats Depa would make against his paraprofessional, and heard on surveillance video, influencing the handling of his case and the setting of his bond. After a five-minute struggle with Willford, he calmed down but kept threatening the faculty members, telling them he would shoot them if they tried to leave. It was around then that the sheriff’s deputy arrived.
Willford, was “sitting in a chair breathing heavy and cursing profanity and racial slurs at the teachers,” according to the deputy. Depa, too, was heard cursing and yelling racial slurs. Depa is Black. Willford is white. When the deputy asked Willford to stop cursing, Willford “turned his head to me and told me to ‘shut the hell up,'” according to the deputy’s account.
Willford’s assault on three faculty members could have resulted in three felony charges, at least one of them–regarding the stabbing–an aggravated assault charge on school personnel, like the one Depa faces. When an assailant assaults deputies, for example, the assailant typically faces as many charges as there are deputies targeted by the assault.
Instead, Willford was arrested on only one charge, battery on school personnel, a third-degree felony. The State Attorney’s information stuck to the one charge even though it listed all three victims as targets of Willford’s physical violence.
In contrast, the State Attorney’s office up-charged Depa to the first degree felony as an adult, after the sheriff had filed a second-degree felony charge as a juvenile. The overwhelming majority of second-degree felony charges against juveniles result in probation.
Willford was booked at the Flagler County jail, but released the next day after his first appearance, on his own recognizance: he had to post no bond. Depa is being held on $1 million bond. The only restriction on Willford was a no-contact order regarding his three victims. Depa is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day at a juvenile prison in Jacksonville.
Like Depa’s lawyer, Regina Nunnally, Willford’s lawyer, asked the court to have Willford mentally evaluated. He was. The court initially found Willford incompetent to proceed just then, but allowed Willford to return to his ECHO home, where he would be properly medicated and presumably returned to competency, because he did not meet the criteria to be involuntary committed to a state hospital.
Fourteen months later, in October 2021, the court found him competent to proceed. He did. A few weeks later Nunnally and the prosecution worked out a plea agreement, sparing Willford prison or jail. Willford pleaded no contest. He would serve 18 months on probation, write the victims a letter of apology, do 100 hours of community service, and attend anger management. Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, the judge in the Depa case, too, accepted the plea, and sentenced him on those terms.
At no point did Willford’s name or his attack on school employees intersect with social media or a news cycle. None of the confrontation was on surveillance video, because it took place in a classroom, where most violent confrontations involving special education students take place. Willford’s arrest never generated a press release from the Sheriff’s Office. It likely never crossed the desk of State Attorney R.J. Larizza. His court hearings never drew attention, the way Depa’s do.
Willford’s probation ends next month. He has not been in trouble since the FPC incident.
The case of Reba Lynn Johnson began almost two years to the day after Willford, this time at Matanzas High School–the school from where Depa had attended, and had insisted to his parents he wanted to graduate from.
On April 20, 2021, Johnson, yet another resident of an group home in Palm Coast (Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health), had become upset at her teacher and begun cursing, according to her arrest report. She threatened the teacher, telling her she would “punch [you] in the fucking face, pull your hair and beat your fucking ass.” When the teacher turned around, Johnson struck her with a closed fist across the back and continued to threaten her as the teacher stepped away.
The incident did not escalate further than that. Johnson was charged with battery on school personnel, a charge similar to Willford’s. But Johnson was not arrested–not then. The State Attorney’s Office took almost three months to file the charge. She was arrested on the charge only then, booked at the county jail and released on $1,000 bond back to her ECHO home in the R Section of Palm Coast.
That September Nunnally, the assistant public defender who is also Johnson’s attorney, filed a suggestion of incompetency on behalf of Johnson, citing eight mental health conditions, including intellectual disability and developmental delays. Two months ;later Judge Perkins declared Johnson incompetent to proceed–and issued a very permissive a conditional release plan, as defendants in her circumstances often get–a plan Depa was implicitly denied, since his bond is out of reach.
Johnson was to live at her group home, stay in the state, stay off drugs other than those prescribed to her, and so on. Two weeks ago Perkins ordered another mental health exam. Those results will be heard on July 10, when Johnson may be found competent to proceed. If so, one thing is almost certain: her punishment will fall closer to that of Willford than to that of Depa because, again, the assault was never caught on video, it never caught anyone’s attention but those involved, nor generate press releases or articles (until now).
Meanwhile, Depa awaits his next court appearance–two days after Johnson, in a pre-trial, roughly a month before his 18th birthday. On that birthday, he will be transferred to a felony wing of the Flagler County jail. Last week in these pages, Depa’s mother detailed his medical history and current conditions. (See: “Brendan Depa’s Mother Tells Her Son’s Story.”)
“Without excusing acts of violence or minimizing the attack on the victim, with respect to Brendan Depa,” Furnari, the EPAC board chairman, said, “we hope that cooler heads will prevail and that the judicial system will fully take into account serious mitigating factors, including the role Brendan Depa’s disability played in his behavior, and the abject failure of the insurance industry and government institutions who, ironically, now seek to incarcerate this young man, possibly for decades.”
R.S. says
Seems that this county has some racist disciplinarians or perhaps a racist culture: white bail $1,000; black bail $1 million?
Robjr says
Look no further than State Attorney R.J. Larizza and Circuit Judge Terence Perkins.
Atwp says
This old white society. Wrong is wrong, but the white guy will not go to prison. The white female will probably not go to prison. The young African American will no doubt go to prison. The way this society works. I would that all African American stay out of trouble. Please for you sake stay out of trouble. This court system is pro white.
Pissed in PC says
No doubt the difference there is the color or his skin. Big, scary black man as they see him compared to 2 white teens. Why wasn’t Depa found incompetent like the 2 whites? I wish Branden’s parents could afford a much better attorney because this screams of racism. Now Depa is sitting in solitary with a high bond and the 2 whites were deemed incompetent then 1 found competent and got probation. TBD on the other but big, scary black man will go to prison where he doesn’t belong and won’t get the specialized care. SMDH at the racists in the courthouse and the sheriff’.
The Geode says
Oh, NOW we are gonna worry about “media attention”? What about the “media inattention”? The thing that happened to this man happens EVERY. SINGLE DAY. “in our neck of the woods” yet nobody says SHIT! How come the genocide in the inner cities doesn’t get “media attention”? How come the rampant thefts and wanton breaking of laws get “media attention”? I see where y’all are trying to make it a “race thing”. Where are you when worse than this is happening right-da-freak-NOW? Is it because the perp and the victim look
. like me? Had this teacher been black would there had been “national media attention”? NOPE! It would have gotten the same amount of press when those black cops beat the black motorist to death.
Luther says
Auntie Ruckus strikes again. You and Clarence Thomas are soul mates! I see why Bunnell is still in captivity!
The Geode says
LOL. Tell that to the people held captive. I don’t think Clarence Thomas is being held “captive” either. He is a Supreme Court Justice. What are you?
Thanks for the personal attack. It shows that you can’t argue the facts so you attack the person. Me? I don’t need to attack a stranger – I am intelligent enough to offer a counterpoint. I realize that everybody doesn’t have that ability, so I forgive you…
Bless your heart
Luther says
Hey Genius, you hate yourself so much you missed the point. Who needs enemies when there’s people like you. Maybe, Candace Owens was a better description.
The dude says
Colored me not surprised… not surprised at all.
Like I said a week or so ago, if Mr. Depa was white and lived in the Mondex, he’d be out walking the streets already.
I personally would like to see this young man in appropriate treatment instead of jail. But I guess Flagler county feels like it needs its pound of flesh in this case. Even if they are ultimately the ones responsible for putting this young man and the parapro together in an environment that was safe for neither.
ASF says
Sadly, this is not as isolated a case as we might wish to think.
A teenager in Nevada named Jonathan Gercia was just sentenced to at least 16 years, and at most 40 years, in prison for a severe Assault on a teacher. Garcia was 16 years old at the time when he beat a teacher almost to death durting a discussion over grades.
His Public defender stated that the attack was likely caused by an adverse reaction to an Asthma medication called Montelukast. Reportedly, Garcia had no prior history of violent/criminal behavior beyond some problems with gradesd and completing assignments. He was tried as an adult.
FC says
Medicines affect each individual in very different manners and should absolutely been taken into account by the legal teams. Not sure if your reference case (Gercia) was developmentally disabled, such as Depa. I hope the defense reviews every single medicine he is on, has been on, and EVERY documented side effect by the pharmaceutical companies, even if just 1 that has been reported. Often, young adults drink large amounts of energy drinks, which have many additives and seem to be addictive and can cause erratic behavior. (https://yourmentalhealthpal.com/psychological-effects-of-energy-drinks/) Combine the energy drinks with prescription medicines, and underlying mental health issues, and you can only imagine the results.
What if a gun was used? Ironically, this would probably have a different (more favorable for Depa) outcome. It would be considered a mental health issue vs. a gun issue, because you know, guns aren’t the problem, it’s the people and their mental health that are the problems. (sarcasm)
But, I revert back to the press release by FCSO, which garnered national attention. That is what set this case up to be prosecuted in this manner. Sadly, such actions by the sheriff’s office & prosecution typically have political motivations, or political “soft” oversight and guidance. Are videos provided from a school facility/on school grounds a violation of student privacy, whether privately taken or from a surveillance system which is publicly funded by your tax $$? And let’s not forget about ALL the Hippa laws that have already been violated.
I hope Depa is getting checked every day by an outside agency while at the detention facility and in confinement. That environment is only going to affect his disability and the outcome will surely be horrific for him. Incarceration is not a solution for someone with a developmental disability.
Florida needs criminal justice reform, oversight of prosecutors, DOC and so much more. Maybe this case will bring more attention to the systemic problems in Florida, from the outdated criminal code to the tainted politicians, prosecutors, self stoking sheriffs and broken justice system. This is an example of how the “Tough on Crime” state is tough on developmentally disabled individuals and discriminatory in how they prosecute cases.
ASF says
Sorry–I am a terrible typist. I meant to write, “Jonathan Garcia”–not “Gercia.” His case is receiving considerable attention. If anyone wants to find out more information about it, they can just Google the information. His case reminded me of how some individuals–especially young ones– had psychotic episodes after using a drug called Accutane some years ago.
It is very concerning that when drugs are tested, those tests do not usually take account the paradoxical effects that the young and the elderly tend to experience when they take medications. I used to work on a Behavioral Unit in a community hospital. We would sometimes see elderly people who had reacted very badly even to common over the counter drugs, like Benadryl.
I don’t know how many drug cocktails Mr. Depa has tried over the years but his mother seemed to indicate that that was a struggle. It saddened me greatly, when I was working on the unit, that not enough emphasis was put on behavioral modifcation and counseling. Drugs therapies–although important–should not be the only consideration. Too many people like to believe that there is a pill out there that can solve all these kinds of problems. That’s magical thinking.
Ilene says
Dude, you are so right! Brendan Depa needs to be in a treatment center, not in a jail, and not months in solitary confinement. The state of Florida failed this young man and the Paraprofessional he injured. He is Autistic to the degree that he needs someone with him that can handle his strength and one that can manage Brendan’s documented “triggers”. He should not have been in public school without a “one on one larger male” watching out for him. As to the black vs white autistic students and the similarity of their charges, PREJUDICE, pure and simple, as to how they were treated vs how Brendan Depa is treated. I’m not saying those students need to be in jail, I’m saying none of them should be in jail.
Concerned Community Member says
There was an incident at WES when Anna Crawford was principal. A student from a group home assaulted her para which gave that para a concussion. The para received worker comp and suffered from PDST. She left the district because the district didn’t do anything about this student who was violent. This para filed a police report on this student. So violence in the schools go beyond HS. There is also violent students in the MS and ES. When does this all stop. Students with behavior problems/violent should not be around general Ed students. What happens if one of these students attack another student?? These students need to be in an alternative school that just handles their behavior. Other districts in Florida and other states do have alternative schools for students with these behavior issues.
Sue Urban says
Sounds like an NAACP should be helping civil rights violation. 2 white students same crimes and yet Branden is still in 23 hour a day lock up? That in and of itself should be a violation of his rights. Convicted Murderers and Rapists even the “poison pushers” (Sheriff Staly’s pet projects) have more rights and freedom the a kid with a Mental Hadicap.
FC says
Sadly, this is no surprise. Anytime there is an FCSO press release which gains national or international attention, the prosecution ups the charges. Once there is national/international attention of a case due to a somewhat biased press release, all aspects of a fair trial and legal process are lost, and in most cases, it starts with the “upped charges” by the state prosector. Yes, the right to a fair trial is lost because of a press release, written by FCSO staff, with the goal of highlighting the department and their “tough on crime” stance. All done with NO regard to fair trials and accuracy of information. And the state prosecutor knows there will be NO fair trial because the court of public opinion (and a future jury) has now been biased. It’s a very broken system.
I can think of another case (not related) that received national attention and the same thing happened. Charges were “upped” by the state prosecutor and there was NO BOND, which is ironic since there was no one harmed and no public threat. A domestic situation exaggerated much by the FCSO press release. A man is in prison for years due to it. Similar cases that did not garner national attention due to a FCSO press release, (even when victims have been injured, assaulted or more) were treated differently. Those offenders did not receive “upped charges”, were able post a bond, and ultimately served much less prison time, even though they caused injury to a victim.
The system in Flagler is broken and there should to be an investigation and study of how cases with press releases garnering national attention are prosecuted and handled and why there is no standard.
Wow says
Gee, whatever could be the difference?
Shelly says
This is so sad and by keeping Depa in jail, is not helping the situation. He should be getting the same treatment as the other 2 cases I don’t care of it was caught on surveillance or not.
Brynn Newton says
Mr. Depa, unfortunately, suffers from Abu Ghraib Syndrome.
ASF says
Does a person’s prior record of convictions play any part in what charges the Prosecutor’s Office decides to pursue? I believe I had read that Mr. Depa had other prior Assaults on his record. I thought I had also read that Mr Depa has been the recipient of various treatment options in the past as a result of his documented disabilities. I am not sure how much of that might also apply in the cases of the other students mentioned above. Unfortunately, I believe we can do much better in that regard than we seem to be doing now.
I hope Mr. Depa receives fair and just consideration and that the victim in this case receives all the help she will need to heal on all levels.
Joey says
If I understand the facts correctly every police encounter regarding Mr Depa was initiated by his mother when she found herself unable to control him as a means to prevent further harm to himself or others . Mrs. Depa hoped to have him Baker Acted each time she reached out to local law enforcement. Unfortunately that was not always the outcome. Sometimes he would get Baker Acted or talked down to calmness and at other times her calls would lead to an arrest.
FlaglerLive says
Two of the three encounters were initiated by Brendan Depa’s mother. The third was the result of a confrontation with other juveniles who were taunting him.
Joey R says
Thanks for clarifying this.
Joey R says
The police encounters were all initiated by Mr. Depa’s mother in an effort to get him Baker
acted when she was unable to manage him safely. Depending on the responding officers he would either be Baker acted, talked down to calmness or arrested.
Safety First says
If his biological maternal parent made some mistakes during gestation or not is irrelevant. Nobody is blaming him for his disability, but the fact remains he is a large powerful and potentially dangerous human with mental issues. If he were allowed back in my childs school I would withdraw my child the day before if he were purple white or black.
Tara says
Knowing his family, I can assure you that his parents had serious reservations about him attending public school. However, his group home and the school district assured them they were prepared and this was the best placement for Brenden. The best placement for him is in a safe and secure environment. Solitary confinement is no place for anyone, let alone an autistic teen with a child’s mentality. We should all be praying for those involved.
Safety First says
Tara, I completely agree with everything you said, I only wish that nobody with slight physical stature falls prey if the cards don’t get dealt his way. Clearly he cannot manage his anger when randomly stressed and should not be exposed to those unable to defend themselves against him physically. Conversely, God forbid one can defend, what then for young Mr. Depa? If under attack How many blows to the head would you take if you were armed before sliding the safety selector switch to off?
Laurel says
Waiting for Trump to take out full page ads in New York newspapers on the subject. Oh, no, now he’s no longer in favor in New York. Never mind.
Sarcasm over.
Clearly this is to bolster political ambition, and media profits (algorithms for those who like double standards) at Depa’s expense.
Mark says
How long were the victim’s hospitalized? Reading the article I noticed it was noted Wilford was an “Exceptional Student”? Why are we giving title’s that are not deserved? There is a likelihood none of these students belonged in their environments, but by no means does a para deserve to be pummeled for trying to do their job.
Facts are this happened on camera and other incidents perhaps not? Not discounting what occurred in other incidents, but in our current society, if there is no video, it didn’t happen or is more difficult to prosecute.
anon says
Words have multiple definitions. And he fits both of them.
exceptional – adjective
1. unusual; not typical.
2. (of a child) mentally or physically disabled so as to require special schooling
Jennifer Peltz says
Point blank and simple this individual has exactly the same similarities as the other two individuals in the article all these children need help they don’t need to be in prison that is not going to help the situation. It will just make them worse. This is a Mother who has been fighting to do what is right for her son she knows that what he did was wrong however, the school and the school board needs to be held accountable why the IEP was not followed. Correctly is beyond me schools need to stop taking matters into their own hands and follow what is written on paper if that would’ve been done, none of these children would be in the situation that they are in
Tara says
Exactly 💯
S.A.M says
This is such an injustice. Brendan will not have a fair trial thanks to that video and the media going crazy without having all of the facts. I feel for the victim, but I wonder if she was properly trained to handle kids with such disorders.
He was obviously triggered by something and unfortunately not able to cool down.
It’s sickening that other kids with same charges get a slap on the hand while Brendan faces 30 years in prison and spends 23 hours in solitary. There are murderers out there doing less than half that.
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
Would be interesting if the States Attorney or the Sheriff would respond to the disparities of these cases or at least reduce his bail for a start.
Brooke says
Leanne thank you for being so candid about your son. This is the boy that I remember tender hearted, sweet, compassionate. Autism simply described is when kids have big emotions to small things. Clearly, the paraprofessional was outside of her limitations when she used his technology as a reward system. There are reasons there are IEP’s, and the paraprofessional knew that it should’ve stuck to it. I hope the judge goes lenient. .
C’mon man says
Give them all 30 years. They know right from wrong don’t let anyone fool you.
Local double taxpayer says
Only difference I see is Depa knocked that lady unconscious and continued to uncontrollably beat her while she was on the ground.
Jole says
It is important not to lose sight of the broader perspective amidst all the media hype surrounding this tragic incident. The evident racial inequalities that have been exposed under similar circumstances are only adding fuel to this fire. All that aside, the fact remains that an autistic 17-year-old minor with the emotional capacity of a 6-year-old is to be charged and treated like a ‘normal’ adult. There is no denying that what happened was horrible and reprehensible, and under ‘normal’ circumstances, the ‘normal’ person responsible should be held to account to the fullest extent of the law. But this incident sheds light on a much bigger problem; one it seems easier to sweep under the rug by inferring the promise of a swift and harsh retribution for the ‘aggressor ‘ while disregarding and failing to address the other underlying truth which is the overwhelming mental health crisis facing our country today. All things considered I cannot see Justice being served under these circumstances for this is not a competent adult but a severely autistic minor who yes, needs be held accountable for his actions as much as can be; but more importantly to continue getting the help needed to overcome his disability and be a contributing member of our society.
Jimbo99 says
Timing is everything in this world. The 1st of the 3 cases, April 2019, a white male if that’s relevant, but they are the demographics. The 2nd in April 2021 & involved a white female. Depa the 3rd was Feb 2023, black male. Looks to be an insufficient sample size of actual events to really be playing the race card. I mean these events were 2 years apart over a 4 year time period. That ends to suggest they are rare & infrequent. The 1st 2 incidents, gender of the victims may have played a factor ? Men get stabbed or hit and they’re tough enough to take that abuse. Depa trucked a woman, then beat her as she lay unconscious, took 4 others to get Depa off a helpless & unconscious victim. The other 2 verbal threats after they seemed to relent from anything physical. The situation seemingly may have been defused. That might even be speculation. Maybe societal values have changed sufficiently over the past 4 years, that the professionals that have to deal with this are done with being the punching bags the rest of society feels they should be ? I think it’s an overreach to be suggesting systemic racism as the race card over 3 cases that escalated 4 years apart. Each of the village idiots has their history of violent outbursts & unpredictable behavior. There is a zero tolerance for guns and the totally innocent children’s safety these days and with more experience with any crimes, sometimes the punishments have to be stiffened.
There is no win with the mentally ill in this. While the mentally ill need to be protected, those that also are part of the solution for a solution-less problem need to be protected as well. Depa is 6’6″ 270 lb, I wouldn’t want him going off in Wal-Mart when I’m shopping there because someone said no to the fidget toy. And I certainly wouldn’t want either of the other 2 mentally ill going off either at Wal-Mart. At what point does anyone’s sheer size advantage become a legitimate SYG moment ? Is it a victim being elderly, is it a gender thing ? Most any adult would stand no chance vs Depa in a fit of rage as he was wailing on the woman, it took 4 people to drag him off of her as unconscious. I can’t imagine a 70 year old man or woman having any better odds.
CFJ says
I would like to think that no one has ever been okay with teaching staff being positioned to be someone’s punching bag. We have the right to expect our schools to have the proper resources in place to prevent such things as this occurring. I don’t understand why the school would have a small female para as his para. From the article, it seemed there were males around to handle the other boy, who also wasn’t small. If they are going to place students with these type of disabilities in the school, they need employees trained in deescalation and restraints. Why did the classroom only have a female para? You would think an ESE classroom would have had multiple para’s.
I also question why APD forced this boy to go to a public school. You would think that if someone requires being placed in a behavioral group home, that public school wouldn’t be an appropriate placement. It seems he hadn’t been in any trouble with the law while in the group home’s immediate care. Apparently the other boy has stayed out of trouble for the last 18 months. I wonder if he has been in school during that time period or kept home.
We need to protect the public but we don’t need to crucify those with developmental or intellectual disabilities. 1 in 20 boys are now being diagnosed with ASD. A percentage of those will have behaviors that the family or school can’t handle. They need professionals and environments that have the training and structure to deal with their triggers. Behavioral group homes are set up for this population, however public schools do not appear to be.
Prison is not the answer. Someone with ASD, with an emotional capacity of a 4-6 year old child & who requires extensive assistance to navigate school, will not understand the culture of prison. Their differences will make them a target for abuse by both the inmates and the guards. If they make it out of prison after their completing their sentence, the trauma that they experience from the abuse will not make society safer. There are programs in place to work with this population outside of the prison system.
PT says
I am a pediatric occupational therapist with over 24 years experience. I am in the trenches working with the families and their children every week. I have watch the statistics grow from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 25 boys being in the spectrum!!! The public schools and law enforcement are not equipped to handle the staggering number of children with special needs entering the classrooms. Many of these children do very well with early intervention and progress to the point that you would never know that they had ever been diagnosed. For others, it is a lifetime struggle. My heart goes out to all the families, school personnel, and law enforcement that get caught in the crossfire.
During the teenage years when the brain is affected by hormones and physical changes, the developing executive functioning part of the brain the regulates behavior, gets highjacked and goes out of control temporarily. Overtime, this will level out and with continued therapeutic intervention they learn to control their emotions better. The other boy mentioned in the article has been able to go 18 months without any additional incidents.
We need to have compassion and start advocating for better training for families, school personnel, and law enforcement agencies. It would be an injustice to sentence special needs individuals to 30 years in prison for a crime that wouldn’t have happened if the school had followed the IEP. It would be the same as putting a 5 or 6 year old child in prison!!!
William Stonehocker says
I have autism too, but I am so stunned by what is going on in the comments. Florida is sadly the worst place to support a special needs person. I don’t care if Brendan Depa is black or white, he committed a violent crime. He’s so bad, he makes Abigail from Fathering Autism look like a Disney princess, even though she’s non-verbal.
Meanwhile, the one girl from an overnight camp in North Carolina I used to go to and I had a crush on when I was 19 (her name will be left out) is seen as normal compared to Brendan and Abigail.
Mischa Gee says
It is NOT beyond the prosecutor’s ability to reduce the charges and work out a sentence similar to the two students mentioned in this article.
Young Brendan has already served 7 months in jail. Lessen the charges and give this CHILD restrictions to his group home and probation to monitor him.
It isn’t hard to do. The district attorney has the power to make things right and have a better outcome for Brendan. Let’s see if he shows he has learned something about autism and how it was a major factor in this incident, and that he shows some compassion.
William Stonehocker says
Willford managed to prove himself a model citizen by staying out of further trouble. Reba…IDK why she was upset with her online teacher. Remember, there are two sides to every story. And where did both learn to use foul language and racial slurs?
IDK about you guys, but I think Reba is a hottie just like Abigail from FatheringAutism…even though Abigail is non-verbal. Even Reba’s public defender Regina is also a hottie, ignoring that she’s a big black woman. I’m only saying this because I’m also autistic too and I too have the decency to look attractive.
My apologies if I offended anyone.