JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Aiden Fucci was booked into prison on Friday following an emotional sentencing hearing. The teen was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his classmate Tristyn Bailey.
Fucci was booked into the Suwannee Correctional Institution which is located at 5964 U.S. Highway 90 in Live Oak, Florida.
The life sentence came after the 16-year-old plead guilty to murder prior to jury selection in February.
"She suffered a painful, horrifying death from someone she trusted," Judge Lee Smith said before he delivered Fucci's sentence. The judge was visibly emotional.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office provided the following statement following the sentencing:
“On Mother’s Day 2021, The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office got the privilege to meet the Bailey 7. If not for that horrific incident, we wouldn’t be here today. From the moment the call was received, a team came together to work this case comprised of members of our community, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the 7th Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s Office.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t be more grateful for the partnership we have formed with the Bailey Family. They have been patient, respectful, understanding, and truly saw this case all the way through to the end.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office would like to recognize and commend Sergeant Kurt Hannon and Victim Advocate Ashley Mitchell for their diligence and dedication to this case and the Bailey Family. Their resolve for justice has never wavered. We would also like to recognize the efforts of Prosecutors Jennifer Dunton and Mark Johnson. They prepared for this case and were ready to go to trial and win.
To our community, thank you for your steadfast support of our agency and the Bailey Family. From providing video surveillance to help establish a timeline, to supporting your fellow neighbor, or assisting with search efforts, you all contributed to this case. We thank you for your support and for not only allowing us to do our jobs, but also trusting us.
The facts and evidence in this case were overwhelming and would have resulted in a guilty verdict regardless thanks to the great work of our Investigative Team in partnership with the prosecution. Today, we finished what we started together and justice was served with a life sentence being handed down to Aiden Fucci.
To the Bailey Family, you are no longer the Bailey 7. You are the Bailey 927 together with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. This agency will forever be connected to the Bailey Family and this community will forever be #BaileyStrong.”
