Aiden Fucci, 14, who stabbed cheerleader Tristyn Bailey 114 times charged as adult and faces life in jail
ST JOHNS COUNTY, FLORIDA: Teen murderer Aiden Fucci, who is accused of killing cheerleader Tristyn Bailey by stabbing her 114 times, will be charged as an adult with first degree and pre-meditated murder. The 14-year-old eighth-grader was arrested after his schoolmate Tristyn was found dead, covered with knife wounds all over her body. According to Daily Mail, the medical examiner even found the tip of Fucci's knife lodged in her scalp, while the rest of the knife was recovered from a pond.
Initially, Fucci was charged with second-degree murder as a juvenile but prosecutors discussed for weeks if he should be charged as an adult, given the brutal nature of the crime. On Thursday, May 27, 2021, the District Attorney charged Fucci as an adult who can face up to life in prison.
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What punishment will Fucci be facing?
The charge of first-degree, premeditated murder which Fucci is facing, happens to be a capital felony that can even carry the death penalty for anyone above the age of 15. Since Fucci is 14 years old, he does not stand the risk of capital punishment.
Prosecutors emphasized the harrowing nature of the murder and dubbed the charge as a "sad but easy decision". "You've heard that our victim Tristyn was stabbed - to say that it was horrific could be argued to be an understatement. The medical examiner completed an autopsy on our victim and identified confidently that there were 114 stab wounds. At least 49 of those were to the hands, arms and head and were defensive," State Attorney RJ Larizza stated.
He added, "Premeditation can be inferred from just the sheer number of stab wounds that Tristyn Bailey had to suffer. Every time that arm went back, and every time that arm went down, that was premeditation and it happened 228 times." He also informed that the prosecutors would be seeking life without parole for Aiden Fucci. Fucci would, however, be able to appeal the sentence, as part of the ongoing endeavor in Florida to reduce sentences for juveniles. "When you get kids that get to his level of violence, the time and accountability is not there the adult system is where this case belongs," the State Attorney said.