Aiden Fucci pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for stabbing Tristyn Bailey 114 times.
Aiden Fucci had been in custody since he was 14 years old for allegedly stabbing to death his classmate and school cheerleader, Tristyn Bailey, 13.
The teenager killed his classmate on Mother's Day in 2021 in St. Johns County, Florida, and her body was left and found in the woods. Fucci had admitted the crime he committed.
Aiden Fucci pleads guilty to Tristyn Bailey's murder
According to The Independent, Aiden Fucci, a Florida teenager charged with the murder of his classmate Tristyn Bailey, had unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty just one day before the jury selection process was to begin.
The state's attorney's office officially confirmed the news of the guilty plea. State Attorney R.J. Larizza highlighted the event's significance and stated that the prosecutors would seek the maximum penalty for the crime, which is a life sentence.
Bailey's family expressed relief at the surprise guilty plea, stating that they were confident the prosecutors would have secured a guilty verdict had the trial proceeded.
The Bailey family noted they fought for Tristyn and would not agree to any plea deal proposed by the Public Defender during the plea hearing. They added that they were fully aligned with the prosecution in rejecting any such plea deal.
The Daily Beast also said that in court, Aiden Fucci wanted to apologize to the family of Tristyn Bailey. Circuit Judge R. Lee Smith asked Fucci if he would like to make a statement, and he remained firm in his decision to apologize to the Bailey family.
Judge Smith asked the 16-year-old boy if he needed time to reconsider his decisions, but Fucci declined the offer.
The guilty plea brings a sense of closure to the case, and the family and prosecutors are now focusing on the next steps in the legal process.
The Tristyn Bailey case
Tristyn Bailey's body was found with 114 stab wounds in the woods near Jacksonville, Florida.
According to NBC, Aiden Fucci, who has since pleaded guilty to her murder, provided information leading to her death. Fucci admitted to police authorities that he got into a confrontation with Tristyn. He also admitted to pushing her to the ground after they left a friend's house on May 9.
Fucci snapped a selfie of himself in the back of a police car while flashing the peace sign. He then uploaded it on social media along with a statement asking if anyone had seen Tristyn recently. At the time, Fucci was considered a witness.
However, he was arrested on May 10 and initially charged with second-degree murder, but a grand jury later indicted him on a first-degree murder charge, and he was to be tried as an adult.
The high number of stab wounds supported the first-degree murder charge and indicated premeditation in the attack.
The murder of Tristyn Bailey shocked the quiet community of St. Johns, where both she and Fucci attended Patriot Oaks Academy.
Previously, the State Attorney, R.J. Larizza, stated that Bailey had passed away while trying to fight for her life. The prosecutors alleged that Fucci told others on the night of Tristyn's death that he wanted to kill someone by taking them into the woods and stabbing them to death.
According to Larizza, Bailey sustained about 49 defensive stab wounds across her face, arms, and hands. Another piece of evidence that strengthened the prosecution's case was that witnesses positively identified a knife found in a pond as being Fucci's. It was later determined that the missing tip of the blade was inside Bailey's skull.
