Law&Crime Sidebar - Teen Monster Who Stabbed Cheerleader 114 Times for Thrills — Aiden Fucci Case

Episode Date: March 29, 2023

The death of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey shocked the affluent Florida neighborhood where her family and killer lived in May 2021. Aiden Fucci pleaded guilty to brutally stabbing the cheerleader 114 times in a premeditated murder for trills. The Law&Crime Network’s Jesse Weber breaks down the tragic story. PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:Save 10% on your entire POM Pepper Spray order by using code LAWCRIME10 at http://bit.ly/3IGNFxvLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergWriting & Video Editing - Michael DeiningerGuest Booking - Alyssa FisherSocial Media Management - Vanessa Bein & Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieObjectionsThey Walk Among AmericaCoptales and CocktailsThe Disturbing TruthSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. views shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. Mr. Fucci, having entered a plea of guilty to the crime of first-degree murder, I adjudicate you guilty of the premedded first-degree murder of Tristan Bailey. I sentence you to life in prison. The Aden Fucci saga has come to an end as the 16-year-old teenager was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 13-year-old Tristan Bailey. We break down this disturbing case.

Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. I have covered a lot of stories at Law and Crime, but if there's one thing I can tell you throughout all of them, it is that you have to stay safe, and that is where Palm Pepper Spray can. really help you. This is a discreet but powerful personal defense tool. Palm pepper spray shoots up to

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remember to call 911 if you see somebody in trouble. Aiden Fucci, the 16 year old teenage killer, was sentenced last week. As we've covered on sidebar before, Aiden Fucci was set to stand trial for the murder of 13-year-old Tristan Bailey back in the beginning of February. But before jury selection began, he ended up pleading guilty. And because he did that, his punishment would then range anywhere between 40 years to life and prison. And as you just heard, he was officially sentenced to life in prison.

Now, before we dive into all of the details of what happened in court and there is a lot to get into, I want to give you a little bit of background on this case because it is ominous and because it is incredibly, incredibly sad. So let's go back to Mother's Day, May 9th, 2021, Jacksonville, Florida. 13-year-old Tristan Bailey disappears. Her mother had reported her missing. She went to wake Tristan up, but only to find that she wasn't there. The whole neighborhood comes together. Everybody's trying to find her, try to get some answer as to what happened to her, but there is no trace of her found. That is until the police come across a neighbor's home surveillance video. And on that video, it shows Tristan Bailey and Aiden Fucci walking together down the street on May 9th at around one in the morning.

Now, nothing else is seen on this video until about two hours later when Fucci is seen running back home alone. After seeing this, the police bring in Fucci for questioning. And this is when Fucci does something odd. He proceeds to take a Snapchat in the back of the police squad car with the caption, Hey, guys, has anybody seen Tristan lately? And then he goes on to take a video as well. We're having fun in a fucking cop car. Yep.

Tristan. What's up, guys? Tristan, if you're fucking walk out the damn... It's in a fucking cop car, guys. She's tripping, dude. Fucci clearly wasn't taking this seriously, but the police definitely were. Fucci was brought down to the station and he was interrogated about Tristan and that very Snapchat. You know they found this girl, right?

Where? In our neighborhood, down our main street. Is she good? No, she's not. No, she's dead. That's why this is very important. It's all on you right now. That's my problem.

You were the last one seen with her. So right now, it's a lot of, it's facing you right now, son. So however you talk, you breathe, you think, then you respond. This is very serious, Aidan. You can't act like, I don't know, I don't, I don't know, you can't, and you can't say nothing. You understand this is serious, clearly. You understand, right? Mm-hmm.

Everything you say will affect you. That Snapchat that you did, it's not very smart. Not good at all, now we have people wanting to burn our house down in our cars down. Because of that Snapchat thing you did. It's all over, you're all over the internet and everywhere, social media. It is on social media. you'll probably come stay with me after we get done with this. So not only do they interrogate him, but they find some other evidence.

In fact, they search his bedroom and they find blood on some pieces of his clothing. And the blood was later tested and came up positive as Bailey's blood. And not only that, apparently Fucci had told people that were around him, his friends, that he was planning to kill someone, and that if he were to kill someone, it was going to be planned, and that he would find a random person walking at night, dragged them into the woods and stab them. Now let's also talk about Aiden Fucci's mom, Crystal Smith. She's arrested on June 5, 2021, just less than a month after the killing. She's arrested for tampering with evidence. She's accused of actually trying to clean Aden Fucci's clothes. And how do we know that?

Well, Smith had security cameras installed in her own house and she's seen visibly going into Aidim's room, grabbing his bloody jeans and washing them. The blood on the jeans and the sink did test positive, as I mentioned, for Bailey's blood. And she was released on 20. $35,000 bail and she's going to have an upcoming case. Well, as you can imagine, Aiden Fucci was officially charged with the first-degree murder of 13-year-old Tristan Bailey, and he was only 14 years old at the time. Investigators determined that Aiden brutally stabbed Tristan to death after they found her body in a wooden area, half a mile from Fucci's home.

And we're going to get a little bit more into the severity of the killing in just a bit. But after being charged, Judge Howard Maltz explained to Aiden Fucci in his first court appearance what he could face if convicted. So let me tell you what you are charged with. You have been indicted by the St. John's County grand jury on the charge of first degree premeditated murder. That is a capital felony that is normally punishable by up to death or life imprisonment.

In your case, because you are not yet 18 years old, death is not a possible sentence pursuant to the Florida and United States Supreme Courts, but this charge does carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Do you understand the charge against, Yes, sir. All right. There is probable cause to detain you on this charge pursuant to the indictment issued by the St. John's County grand jury yesterday, as well as the arrest affidavit that I have previously reviewed. The indictment in KPUS that followed set your bond at none. Is the state still asking that he be held without bond? Mr. Lewis? That is correct, Judge. The state's request is no bond. All right, Ms. People, so you want to be heard on that. issue. We'll address that issue at a later date, Your Honor, with appropriate motions and

witnesses. Okay. Thank you. Having reviewed the appropriate paperwork, I will preliminarily make a determination that proof is evident presumption is great, so you will be held without bond. Mr. Fucci, do you have any questions about these proceedings today? No, sir. So Fucci was never going to receive the death penalty because he was a minor, but he was being tried as an adult. And the reason that he was being tried as an adult is because of the gravity of this crime. Not only did Fucci stab Tristan Bally to death, but he stabbed her 114 times, 114 times, and 49 of those stab wounds were considered defensive wounds. That is truly horrific to think about. So when something like this happens, one of the first questions that people have is the mental health of the defendant,

right? Is this a case of insanity? Well, Fucci, was being held in juvenile detention after being charged. And here's him in a Zoom hearing back in September 2021, where he seemed a little out of it. I don't want to let you demons. I don't want to you, things take my soul. You damage will take my soul away. I won't let you demons to myself.

I don't know what's going. What's going on? Mark, I've seen him. What's going on? What is that going on? Why am I here? I just want to talk to my mom and dad. What's going on?

What's going on? What's going on? What's going on? So yeah, he doesn't look great there, but the question is, was he genuinely not well? Was he malingering or faking it? Well, as you're going to see coming up, psychologists and psychiatrists,

they evaluate defendants all the time to determine issues of insanity so if they're competent to stand trial. Now, here, Fucci was deemed competent to stand trial, but when it came time for jury selection, Fucci and his defense team decided to change their plea. Your Honor, on behalf of Aden Fucci, we enter a change of plea at this time.

Entering a guilty plea is charged. So Fucci finally admits to the brutal killing of 13-year-old Tristan Bailey. And the main reason that we believe he pled guilty is because entering that guilty plea, could possibly give him a better chance at facing the minimum sentence of 40 years rather than life in prison. As we know, that didn't quite work out too well for him. Now, because he is guilty, his trial just becomes a penalty hearing. And in this case, it's somewhat of a mini trial,

where some people do end up providing testimony, and it's all to determine what Aiden Fucci's punishment should be. Well, here's Judge Rayleigh Smith explaining what has to be considered when determining a defendant's sentence. Pursuant to Section 921.1.140. the court in determining whether a life imprisonment or a term of years equal to life imprisonment is an appropriate sentence, the court must consider the following factors. A, the nature and circumstances of the offense committed by the defendant. B, the effect of the crime on the victim's family and on the community. C, the defendant's age, maturity, intellectual capacity, and mental and emotional health at the time of the offense.

D, the defendant's background, including his or her family, home, community environment. E, the effect, if any, of immaturity and pituosity or failure to appreciate the risks and consequences on the defendant's participation in the offense. F, the extent of the defendant's participation in the offense. G, the effect of any of familial pressure or peer pressure on the defendant's actions. H, the nature and extent of the defendant's prior criminal history. I, the effect, if any, of characteristics attributable to the defendant's youth on the defendant's judgment, and J, the possibility of rehabilitating the defendant. Okay, so that's what's taken into consideration.

And as I mentioned before, defendants are evaluated before trial to determine if they're competent even to stand trial. Here's Department of Juvenile Justice employee Dwayne Barton being questioned by the prosecution about his evaluation of Aiden Fucci. So these wellness checks that you were doing with Mr. Fucci, I believe you stated you would, you were doing them, you would make visits to the jail and do, meet with several kids in the same day, right? Yes. Okay. So he wasn't the only juvenile that you were checking on that was charged as an adult in that jail, right? No. Okay.

And the point of those checks, it sounds like you kind of summarized it. you were looking for abuse, any signs of injury, general wellness checks, like how they're doing, right? Yes, ma'am. Okay. And did you ever see with him or were there any complaints about abuse by another inmate, let's say? No.

He did indicate that he was involved in a physical altercation on one occasion. Okay. So he told you about a fight. had one time. But outside that fight, any abuse by staff or other inmates? You never complained of that. Okay. And when you met with these kids, you described it wasn't like a checklist that you had verbatim, but you checked on the same things every time and kind of asked the same questions every time. Is that fair? Yes, ma'am.

Okay. And you asked that of all the kids you visit, not just Mr. Fucci. Yes, ma'am. Okay. And one of the things you talk about or ask, is about are you seeing things or hearing voices, right? Not necessarily, I would ask, you know, are you currently taking any medications and, you know, they'll report. I'm taking lithium for, you know, hearing voices or depression or bipolar. Okay.

And then more people would come to testify about what they observed of Aiden Fucci before he became a killer. Give you an example of that, here's Fucci's former teacher explaining what she had Would you say as an adult that Aiden Fucci was respectful to adults? From what I've seen, yes, he was respectful to adults. And did you ever see him interacting with other kids at the school? I saw him daily, so yes. Yes, ma'am.

Did you personally witness any violence from Aden Fucci while he was at school? I did not. Did you see any violence towards women from Aden Fucci? No. Okay. So to summarize, Aidan may work poorly alone, but he was willing to work one-on-one with what was offered. Yes. To your services. Thank you.

Now, the defense was trying to show that Fucci was a good kid, but he had this sudden change of character when he committed this murder. On the other hand, the prosecution's trying to point out every little instance that showcases Fucci wasn't a good person and is endangered in society, doing everything they can to enforce a life sentence and bring justice for Tristan Bailey's family and loved ones. So here's the prosecution presenting Patriot Oaks Academy Dean of Students, Chris Wetchin, about Fucci's bad behavior in school. You've described him as more mature than his peers and very mature in the past, correct? Correct.

You've also said that Aden had one of those attitudes where everything that happens is someone else's fault, not his own. That was sort of his general attitude when you met him. Yes, that was a big part of our. educational piece is to look at himself versus everyone else. Easily frustrated at authority specifically, correct? Yes, he did not like to be disrespected. Okay. And you indicated he had a temper, which is why you're working with him, correct?

That's correct. Okay. You stated earlier that he was suspended one time. When you refer to that, is that OSS or out-of-school suspension? It was out of school suspension. It was a time where he got in school suspension with one of his friends. And when they were in the in-school suspension room, they were really disrespectful to the coworker that was in there.

And so therefore I suspend both of them for their behavior for that. And you kind of oversaw, or are you the one making the decision for ISS in school suspension? Yes. Okay. And he had several of those while he was at Patriot. at Oaks, correct? No, he only had two.

He had two, okay. Two of those and then one OSS, correct? Correct. Okay. So Fucci seemed to get in trouble at school. He had this temper. He wasn't the nicest of people. And you can imagine there hasn't been much sympathy for Aiden Fucci and for what he did.

I mean, he murdered an innocent 13-year-old girl in cold blood. But one particular individual that was pleading with the court for leniency on Aiden's behalf was his grandmother. Is that the boy you knew? He's not the boy that I knew. I don't know what happened. I mean, he's always been good and happening. I'm so sorry. Sorry.

I just don't need my mom at the feet. Wow, this is so hard. I'm so sorry. He has a good family, and we don't do what happened, and we're very sorry, we lost. He's always been such a good kid, and I don't even know where that came from. I mean, he doesn't have any bad in his family or around him, or I don't know. I can't explain. I just don't know.

Now, in terms of Aiden around the family, that included hamsters, animals. Was he ever harmful to any of the pets? No, I mean, we all have animals and, no, he's never been being any animals. I just wanted to tell you, I know he has to be punished and for his actions, and I love him and his family love him very much too. And I know we're a very large Christian family and we pray all the time and I just hope you consider it a little bit and please don't take him out of our lives for us. forever. I know that I've died and not be able to spend time with him sometime before I go. I'm not good at this. I'm so sorry. I know there's some good in Aden. I don't know what happened to him that this cause, but I know there's some good in him.

It's clear that she loves her grandson, right? I mean, she knows that he has to be punished, but she is begging for mercy. So as we recap the sentencing of killer aid in Fucci, the teenager who senselessly took the life of 13-year-old Tristan Bailey, took her from those who loved her. Emotions in that courtroom hit another level when her family members delivered their statements in that Florida courtroom. Here's Tristan's sister Alexis describing the gruesome killing.

This jar now holds 114 stones, one for each of the 114 stab wounds, that my sister had to endure. It was one hour and 42 minutes between when my sister was last seen and when Aden Fucci was next seen, running out of the woods holding his shoes because his feet hurt. It's funny that such a simple statement can bring such anger. Aiden Fucci could show compassion for his sore feet, yet had nothing to leave for my beautiful sister. The number of questions I have for Aden Fucci surrounding that night plagued my mind. Did she see you coming at her with the knife,

or did you stab her while she wasn't paying attention? Did she scream out for help, or was she paralyzed with agony? Did she cry for my mother? Did she beg you to stop? Did you hear her lungs gargling with blood? Or did you see it in her face when she realized she could no longer breathe due to her collapsed lungs? What were her last words? Did you stay to watch her die?

Or did you leave her there in agonizing pain as you ran away? How long did she suffer? Did you watch the life leave her eyes? Do you know the answer to any of these questions, or were you two caught up in the thrill of the kill? And more of Tristan's family members delivered statements, including her two sisters, her brother, and her grandmother. Tristan's best friend, Gia Bauer, delivered a statement as well, and listening to it truly showcases how young and innocent Tristan was. My name is Gia Bauer, and I'm 15 years old. Tristan Bailey was my best friend.

She's the person I'd call when I had a bad day or had something exciting to share. Tristan was born in Singapore, and since I'm from Korea, we bonded being over Asian sisters. We took care of hairless cats all summer, watched movies, and made TikToks. We loved to listen to music.

We shared the love of cheer. We traveled together and had countless sleepovers, and when we were not able to go to each other's homes, we would face time all night and have virtual sleepovers. Her family called me their bonus child. We went to our first concert together, and she's also the one who gave me my first concussion doing unauthorized cheer stunts.

I talked to Tristan every day. We had a connection that cannot be explained. We were always on the same page. She was my person, and Eden Fucci took her from me. Since May 9th, 2021, I've carried a sadness that never goes away. I've been lost. There's not just one part that is sad, but all of me. I no longer have my best friend.

She won't be able to experience life. We won't be able to go to dances together. We won't be able to be bridesmaids at each other's weddings. And we won't be there to experience having children together. Initially, it was a surreal feeling, and I could not believe she was no longer here. The person I needed to get through such a tragedy with was not here. I would think about texting her for comfort and remember I would never receive any words back from her. Losing Tristan has changed the way I see the world.

I once believed people were good and that the world was a happy and safe place. Now I struggle to see the good in the world. A sense of security has been taken. I no longer trust the way I once did and a sense of joy is missing. I fight not to be a negative or bitter purpose. I used to love cheer, and now without her here, it will never be the same. I changed my Starbucks order because I could not bear to get the double chocolate chip proficino we used to drink together.

We had a playlist called Rock and Roll, and I've not been able to listen to it since she was taken. I avoid so much now, even people. I used to be known as Tristan's best friend, and now my identity has changed. It's hard to be in public because people come up to me. people come up to me and want to talk to me about tea. It is always with kindness and people have the best intentions, but for me, it's just another reminder. She is no longer here, and she never will be.

Aiden, you ruined so many lives. You took away my beautiful, joyful, loving friend. She is never coming back, and the pain you cause so many will last the rest of our lives. You still get to live, she doesn't. I ask the court that you spend the rest of your life in prison, so you never have the opportunity to hurt another person and causes mage pain to anyone else. This white stone represents my innocence, which died the day Aiden Fucci chose to murder my best friend.

But arguably one of the most powerful moments came from Tristan's mother, Stacey Bailey. Listening to her really shows just how horrifying it must be to lose a child and to lose a child in this fashion. And she pleads with the court to hand down a life sentence for Aiden Fucci. You have taken away my baby girl, my past, my present, my future, by your calculated vile actions. I will never be able to watch her perform on stage with her cheer team. I will never see her wind summit or world. I will never have our special weekends away just the two of us. She will not be able to graduate high school or college.

And her father will never be able to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. You have taken this all away from us. I will never understand the heinous choice you made that day or why my kind daughter was the one that you. you chose. I will spend the rest of my life grieving our beautiful daughter, longing to hear her voice and hold her in my arms. Aiden Fucci, your deplorable actions are unforgivable, and I will pray every day that you stay in prison for the rest of your life and never be able to harm anyone else in this world again. Your Honor, I plead with you. Please consider everything that he has done.

to our daughter and to our family. 8.15 made a heinous decision on May 9th, 2021 and took the very life that I brought into this world. Please do not for one second think that he could be rehabilitated at any point. He is beyond saving. He should have to pay for his credit. I'm against my daughter justice is an empty word for our family as it can never bring Tristan back but justice is for society and he should have life without for without parole thank you for everything that you've done in this case and I know that you have a really hard choices in front of you I'm going to be placing two

rocks into to this This rock, this white stone, is for her sister, Sophia, who will never have the opportunity to be a big sister again, and you stole that from her. This last one is for me, and it represents everything that you have stolen for me, my words, my joy, my hope, My future and my beautiful daughter. Finally, Tristan's father, Forrest Bailey, spoke up, and he showed no remorse for Aiden Fucci and directed his statement directly at the defendant himself. You know, to Mr. Fucci,

February 6th, you finally admitted to your guilt in murdering my daughter, Tristan. After you clearly sat in this room and agreed, to all of the questions and statements that were read by the judge and admitted that you knew what you were pleading to. At the end of that, you turned around, or you didn't even turn around, you made an apology. I want to be clear saying that your insincere apology is not accepted. In no part did I sense any glimmer of any true remorse felt in your apology. Without question, I know that statement was for some self-serving purpose that you have during all of the

proceedings in which we've been present, including these past couple days, at no point in time have I seen anything from you that is any type of remorse. I loathe your very existence and know that there is nothing within you that reflects the smallest amount of goodness or human decency. And just like Tristan's father, having no sympathy for Aidan, Fucci, Judge Rayleigh Smith, didn't either. Mr. Fucci, if you and your attorneys would please rise. Counsel, is there any legal reason why this court cannot impose sentence at this time?

No, Senator. Mr. Fucci, having entered a plea of guilty to the crime of first-degree murder, I adjudicate you guilty of the premeded first-degree murder of Tristan Bailey. I sentenced you to life in prison. Because of your age, you are eligible for a review of the sentence in 25 years. I order the Department of Corrections to notify you when you are eligible to apply for your review hearing. Madam Clerk, if you will please impose the minimum fines and court costs. So there you have it.

Aiden Fucci, sentenced to life in prison with an evaluation in 25 years. And as I said, this all comes back to the victims. of this case. It comes back to Tristan Bailey. It is incredibly tragic what happened to this very young person who was at the really start of her life. All happened on Mother's Day, 2021. And in the end, nothing can bring Tristan back, but her family can now rest knowing that her killer is locked away. And that's all we have for you here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcast. I'm Jesse Weber, I'll speak to you next time.