14-year-old Aiden Fucci appeared in court to be charged as an adult after he took the life of cheerleader Tristyn Bailey, 13.
The teen was arrested on May 10, one day after the victim’s body was discovered with multiple knife wounds in St. Johns, Florida.
Fucci, who is being held without bond, was pictured in a new mugshot after charges against him were increased. He was initially charged with second-degree murder as a juvenile but prosecutors deliberated on whether the charges should be upgraded.
Staate’s Attorney R.J. Larizza revealed that Aiden had told his pals that he was going to kill ‘someone in the woods’ before he stabbed Tristyn 114 times.
“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 114 stab wounds,” he said. “At least 49 of those were to the hands, arms and head and were defensive.
“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.”
“It’s not just the fact she was stabbed 114 times – it’s also information that we were able to glean from witnesses,” he continued.
“The defendant made statements to several people that he intended to kill someone. He didn’t say who that was but he indicated that he was going to kill someone by taking them into the woods and stabbing them which are certainly the facts of this case.
“A knife was found in the pond, very close in proximity to our victim’s body. The tip of the knife was located by the medical examiner in the scalp of our victim.”
Larizza said DNA evidence helped solidify the decision.
“The juvenile system is geared for kids with drug issues maybe, or who commit non violent crime,” he said.
“When you get kids that get to this level of violence, the time and accountability is not there the adult system is where this case belongs.”
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