NEW: The mother of Brendan Depa, the 6ft 6in teen who beat his teacher unconscious over a Nintendo Switch, is pleading for the teacher to "show mercy" on her son. Depa's adoptive mom, Leanne Depa, says sentencing her autistic son to prison will be a "death sentence." Depa is facing up to 30 years in prison for the attack as the teacher, Joan Naydich, is still recovering from the trauma. "I am so sorry for what my son did. Nobody should ever have to go through that... please consider he has had a hard life and he has gone through so much trauma in his life," Leanne Depa said. "He has autism. Please show mercy to him." Naydich is reportedly refusing to help Depa get a lighter sentence and says she hopes this case will "prevent anyone else from ever dealing with the trauma."