A Florida teen accused of stabbing a 13-year-old cheerleader 114 times almost two years in the past pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Monday, authorities stated.
The plea within the brutal stabbing of Tristyn Bailey got here someday earlier than jury choice was to start within the trial of Aiden Fucci, who was 14 when he was arrested within the Could 9, 2021, killing, the state’s lawyer’s workplace for Florida’s Seventh Judicial District stated in a assertion.
“Right this moment was a main occasion on this case,” State Legal professional R.J. Larizza stated.
Prosecutors will search the utmost penalty, he added — a life sentence.
The workplace’s assertion stated no plea provide had been made. A lawyer for Fucci didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
In a assertion, Tristyn’s household stated that they had been assured prosecutors would have secured a guilty verdict however that the shock plea introduced “important reduction,” in accordance to the NBC affiliate WTLV of Jacksonville.
“Simply as Tristyn fought for her life, we equally fought for her and wouldn’t agree to any plea deal,” the assertion stated. “We had been totally aligned with the prosecutor in rejecting the proposed plea offers talked about by the Public Defender in the course of the plea listening to.”
Tristyn was discovered useless in woods exterior Jacksonville. In accordance to a possible trigger affidavit, Fucci advised authorities that he received into an argument with Tristyn and pushed her to the bottom after they left a mutual good friend’s earlier than daybreak on Could 9.
Whereas he was nonetheless thought of a witness, Fucci snapped a photograph of himself within the again of a police automobile flashing a peace signal and posted the picture to social media with the caption: “Hey guys has inybody seen Tristyn these days.”
He was arrested Could 10 and initially accused of second-degree murder.
Days later, a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder cost, and Fucci was to be tried as an grownup. On the time, Larizza stated the sheer quantity of stab wounds the lady suffered supported the cost and confirmed the assault was premeditated.