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Judge rules Aiden Fucci will be tried for Tristyn Bailey's killing in St. Johns County despite media attention

St. Johns County Judge Lee Smith says that during jury selection, if it becomes impossible to select a fair and impartial jury, the issue will be raised again.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County Judge Lee Smith has denied a motion to move Aiden Fucci's trial.

Fucci is currently being held in Duval County, but his trial for the murder of Tristyn Bailey, who was stabbed 114 times, will be held in St. Johns County.

At 16-years-old, Fucci will be tried as an adult in the crime.

The brutality of the case, along with Fucci's eerie reaction after the fact -- posting Snapchats from the back of a squad car -- brought national attention to the case. Fucci's attorneys have argued that press attention will make it impossible to find a nonbiased jury. 

They provided hundreds of pages of news articles, clips and videos centered around the reporting of the case. Fucci's attorney Rosemarie Peoples specifically referenced the images from his Snapchat in court Tuesday.

“As we work our way through jury selection, certainly if it becomes clear we’re unable to select a fair and impartial jury here in St. Johns County, obviously we’ll have to revisit this,” Lee said.

The court also heard a motion to move Fucci out of solitary confinement Tuesday. While Fucci's legal team claimed he is enduring "ongoing torture" at the Duval Country Jail, the judge denied that motion as well. 

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