Aiden Fucci set for November trial in killing of 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey

Nearly a year after 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey was killed, the teen accused in her stabbing death is scheduled to stand trial beginning Nov. 7.

Aiden Fucci, 15, is charged with the first-degree murder of Bailey, a neighbor of his in the Durbin Crossing community of northwest St. Johns County. Bailey, a student at Patriot Oaks Academy, was found dead in a wooded area near her home on May 9, 2021. She was stabbed 114 times.

Fucci appeared in court on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing, staring down at his feet for most of the proceedings.

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Friends and family of the Baileys sat together on one side of the courtroom, most of them dressed in aqua, Tristyn Bailey's favorite color.

Judge Lee Smith set the final pre-trial hearing date for Oct. 26 and blocked off two weeks for Fucci’s trial: Nov. 7-18. Fucci is set to appear in court on June 7 for another pre-trial hearing.

Fucci has been assigned a new attorney, public defender Rosemarie Peoples, to represent him. Peoples said the defense has begun the deposition process, but still needs to interview about 80 witnesses in the case.

Fucci's mother, Crystal Smith, is accused of tampering with evidence in the case by washing blood out of her son's jeans. She was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Tuesday. She did not appear in court, but was represented by her attorney, Matthew Kachergus.

Judge Smith set the next pretrial hearing date in that case for Aug. 3.

― Reporter Sheldon Gardner contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Tristyn Bailey killing: Aiden Fucci to stand trial in November