Aiden Fucci learns he will spend the rest of life in prison for murder of Tristyn Bailey

As you all know, this is a case that rocked the St. Johns County community and the entire First Coast. Today, the prosecutor's, victim's advocate, Sheer of Hardwick, all came together as Aiden Fucci was sentenced to life in prison for Tristan Bailey's murder. We heard an emotional message from Tristan's father after that sentencing. 22 months after 13-year-old Tristan Bailey was murdered, Judge Arlie Smith announced her killer, Aiden Fucci, was sentenced to life in prison. The judge then spoke directly to Tristan Bailey's family inside of the courtroom. Her body is no longer present on this earth.

However, her spirit lives on through each and every one of you. The judge said Fucci had no reason for committing the crime. Now 16, Fucci was 14 when he stabbed his schoolmate 114 times on Mother's Day of 2021. It was not a crime of passion. It was not a crime that was committed because he felt rejected by her. It was not done in a fit of uncontrollable anger. There was no reason.

There was no purpose. It was done for no other reason than to satisfy this defendant's internal desire to feel what it was like to kill someone. For the first time since the crime, Tristan's father, Forest Bailey, stood before media to speak about his daughter, the family wearing shirts that read Tristan Bailey strong and referring to themselves as the Bailey Seven. Tristan, I wanted to let you know we are so extremely proud of the person that you were in your time here. We have seen that when you went out into the world, you gave it your very best. Mr. Bailey thanking the justice system for working on behalf of his family while taking a moment to pay respects to his daughter, who was also a cheerleader, sister and friend.

With respect to what you mean to our family, it's in our hearts. There are no words. We love you. We will continue to hold you in our hearts and we will always be the Bailey Seven. And because Fucci is a juvenile, his sentence will be up for review in 25 years. He does have 30 days to appeal. Live, I'm Destiny McHeaver, First Coast News on your side.

crime, news