Aiden Fucci, who is now 16 years old, entered a guilty plea the same day the high-profile trial was set to begin.
The Florida teen accused of killing his 13-year-old schoolmate Tristyn Bailey, has pled guilty to first-degree murder Monday morning. Aiden Fucci, 16, now faces the possibility of life in prison, with a minimum sentence of 40 years behind bars.
Fucci entered his guilty plea ahead of jury selection for his high-profile trial that was due to begin on the same day, according to courtroom footage shared by WJXT.
In front of the judge, following the change in his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty,” Fucci asked to make a brief statement, in which he said, “I just want to say I plead guilty, and I’m sorry to the Bailey family and my family.”
Nearly two years ago, in May 2021, Tristyn was found dead in the woods. The teen cheerleader’s body was discovered with 114 stab wounds, with at least 49 of the sustained on her hands, arms and head, which prosecutors believed to be “defensive in nature.”
Both Fucci and Tristyn attended Patriot Oaks Academy, where Fucci had been in the eighth grade while Tristyn was in the seventh, and the pair also grew up in the same neighborhood, authorities said.
A search of Fucci’s room at his parents’ house revealed grisly details that allegedly provide insight into the mind of Fucci, including a notebook that contained “drawings of a violent nature,” some of which included an illustration of a nude woman with red X’s crossing out the breasts and genitals, and a drawing that “depicted a Satanic element to them, to include a pentagram,” authorities said.
Prosecutors later said Fucci likely lured Tristyn into the woods with the intention of murdering her.
A sentencing hearing is expected in March or April.
