Florida teen sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing 13-year-old classmate
A Florida teen was sentenced Friday to life in prison for the 2021 killing of a 13-year-old classmate.
Aiden Fucci was 14 when he stabbed Tristyn Bailey at least 114 times near her home in North Florida, prosecutors said.
The two kids attended the same school, Patriot Oaks Academy, where Bailey was a cheerleader. She was found dead, wearing her cheerleading uniform, in a wooded area near Jacksonville on Mother’s Day.
Fucci, who’s now 16, pleaded guilty early last month just before jury selection for his trial was set to begin.
“I just want to say I plead guilty and I’m sorry for the Bailey family and my family,” he told the judge in St. Augustine on Feb. 6.
His attorneys had sought a 40-year sentence, but on Friday Judge Lee R. Smith sent him to spend his life behind bars. According to state law, his case may be reviewed in 25 years.
“This case is probably the most difficult and shocking case that this county, St. Johns County, has dealt with,” the judge said before invoking his sentence.
Earlier this week, Bailey’s family and friends read to the court statements describing the emotional impact of her death, urging Smith to sentence Fucci to life in prison.
“You can only imagine how the pain he put her through stays with us,” the slain teen’s father, Forrest Bailey, told the judge.
“Aiden Fucci, your deplorable actions are unforgivable,” her mother said, fighting tears. “I’ll pray every day that you stay in prison for the rest of your life and never be able to harm anyone else in this world again.”
Fucci’s grandmother, Deborah Spiwak, also attended the hearing. She asked the judge to “Please don’t take him out of our lives forever ... I know there’s some good in Aiden.”
His mother and father also wrote letters to the judge, asking for mercy.
Investigators said the boy had told friends he wanted to kill someone. However, it wasn’t clear whether Bailey was always his intended target, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in 2021.
With News Wire Services
