Teen killer Aiden Fucci, 16, who stabbed 13-year-old cheerleader and schoolmate Tristyn Bailey 114 times, has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of his twisted “desire to feel what it’s like to kill.”
Fucci, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to the grisly stabbings that took place in 2021 at the end of a cul-de-sac in a quiet neighborhood of Durbin Crossing in St. Johns, Florida.
Emotions ran high as District Judge R. Lee Smith returned the verdict – Bailey’s family shed tears in court.
Because he is a juvenile, the Florida teenager is not eligible for the death penalty and has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision. He will also be able to have his sentence reviewed in 25 years.
Teen killer Aiden Fucci (left), 16, who stabbed his 13-year-old schoolmate and cheerleader Tristyn Bailey 114 times, has been sentenced to life in prison
Emotions ran high as District Judge R. Lee Smith returned the verdict – Bailey’s family shed tears in court
Surveillance footage previously showed Fucci and Bailey walking down a dark residential street together shortly before her death as they headed into the woods. Fucci was then spotted walking barefoot alone around 2am
“Tristyn Bailey was conscious, she was aware, and she did everything she could to deter that attack,” Judge Smith said.
“She suffered a painful, horrible death at the hands of someone she trusted.”
Judge Smith announced his decision Friday morning, saying there was only “one reasonable sentence in this case” before sharing the verdict.
Judge Smith said he took into account Fucci’s age, mental health, personal life and letters from the boy’s family, as well as the fact that he was the “sole person involved” and “is 100 percent responsible for this murder.”
He added that he believes there will be a “poor prognosis for rehabilitation” and confirmed the “compelling” statements made by the victims earlier in the week.
During Friday’s sentencing, Judge Smith said this was one of the “most difficult and shocking cases” in the country that he has faced in his 16 years as a lawyer.
He berated Fucci, saying his behavior before the murder showed an “elevated level of intent” and that he seemed to understand the consequences of his actions.
Judge Smith also found it “disturbing” that there appeared to be no motive for the murder and that it was committed for “no other reason than to satisfy this defendant’s inner desire to feel what it is like to kill someone.” .
Fucci said he apologized nine times in a handwritten letter apologizing to the Bailey family, his own family and the community for taking the young girl’s life.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to know her for so long. They didn’t have long relationships with [Tristyn] and I’m sorry for that,” he wrote.
“For the community, I’m sorry for causing all this pain every day and I’m sorry and I know mine [apology] I won’t fix anything or bring them back, but I hope it helps in some way.’
Fucci also apologized for the impact his actions had on his family, saying he misses spending time with his parents and siblings, as well as his mother’s “lemon pepper chicken.”
Published photos showed the day of Fucci on May 10, 2021, a day after Tristyn’s body was found riddled with knife wounds, and showed his chest covered in scratches
A knife was taken by Fucci as evidence in connection with the cheerleader’s murder
“I miss your hugs,” he wrote. ‘I miss you. The longer I’m here, the more I forget, the more memories I lose. I will never forget that you love me.”
During Wednesday’s trial, Fucci’s grandmother, Deborah Spiwak, took the stand and asked the judge not to remove him from his family’s life forever.
“I would die if I couldn’t spend some time with him sometime before I go,” Spiwak said.
Bailey’s family are demanding justice for the 13-year-old, asking the judge to sentence him to life in prison.
During her testimony Thursday, Bailey’s sister Alexis placed 114 stones in a jar, each representing a stab wound Fucci inflicted on her.
‘Did she scream for help or was she paralyzed with agony?’ Alexis asked Fucci directly in court. “Did she cry for my mother? Did she beg you to stop?”
Before sentencing, Smith told the Bailey family that he “can’t bring her back” and “can’t close this.”
However, he urged the family to let the healing back into their lives.
“Permit Bailey Sunday Fun Days to return to your home,” Judge Smith said.
“Let the laughter return to your homes, because if you deprive yourself of it, it would continue to fall victim to Tristyn, because it’s not what she wants.
“She would want that happiness and laughter to return.”
Bailey was reported missing on Mother’s Day 2021 before her body was found in the woods later that evening.
The teenager was stabbed 114 times, with 49 defensive stab wounds to his hands, arms and head.
The tip of a knife used to attack her broke off and was located “in the victim’s scalp by the coroner.”
Surveillance footage previously showed Fucci and Bailey walking down a dark residential street together shortly before her death as they headed into the woods. Fucci was later seen walking barefoot alone before 3.30am.
Alexis, Bailey’s sister, testified in a Florida courtroom on Wednesday, emotionally dropping more than 100 green heart-shaped stones into a small glass jar to “represent the 114 stab wounds my sister endured.”
Bailey’s family members all appeared on the witness stand during this week’s sentencing hearings and made statements to the court, all urging the maximum possible sentence for Fucci.
Alexis, the second of four, said Fucci “took everything from us” and from her “sense of security, the laughter, the health and the sense of potential.”
She dropped rocks into a jar, and her voiceover revealed questions she had for Fucci, including whether he was “too involved in the thrill of killing.”
“I’m plagued by the many questions I asked Aiden Fucci surrounding that night,” she said.
‘Did she see you approach her with the knife? Or did you stab her while she wasn’t paying attention? Did she scream for help or was she paralyzed with agony? Did she cry for my mother? Did she ask you to stop?
“Did you hear her lungs gurgling with blood? Or did you see it on her face when you realized she couldn’t breathe because of her collapsed lung?
“What were her last words? did you stay to watch her die? Or did you leave her there in excruciating pain as you ran away? How long has she suffered? Did you see how life left her eyes?’
She continued, “The memories of May 9th will forever be ingrained in my mind, body and soul. Knowing that I was awake and only 11 minutes from my sister when she was brutally murdered. Could I have saved her?’
Bailey’s mother, Stacy, said Fucci was “beyond saving” when the family asked the judge for the maximum sentence.
“Aiden Fucci made a heinous decision on May 9, 2021 and took the very life I brought into this world. Please don’t think for a second that he might eventually be redeemed. He’s beyond saving,’ she told the judge.
She said the moment still “eaten” her and “even though I know it’s not my weight that I have to carry, it doesn’t change the fact that I feel that.”
Stacy also revealed that she hasn’t touched her daughter’s room since her daughter last occupied it.
“I can’t face changing one thing, not even washing her clothes in the laundry hamper as that would wash away her smell,” she said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have comfort in our homes again.”
Fucci also wrote a letter to the judge apologizing to the Bailey family and community for the damage he caused, as well as to his parents. He told his dad he was “special because you didn’t make fun of anything” and that he misses his mom’s lemon pepper chicken
The late girl’s brother, Teegan, said his sister had a “personality brighter than fireworks” and he wonders every day if there was anything he could have done.
“I can’t help but wonder every day what would have happened if I had slept on that couch instead or if I had stayed up later,” he said.
“If I had slept on that couch within earshot of the front door, my little sister would still be alive today.
“I’ve been living with this question, this weight and this guilt ever since I tried to wake Tristyn on Mother’s Day and found her room empty.”