JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The teen convicted of brutally killing his schoolmate on Mother’s Day in 2021 is now in prison for his life sentence.
Aiden Fucci, 16, was booked at the Suwannee Correctional Institution in Live Oak on Friday. The male adult prison has a capacity of 1,109 inmates.
The Florida Department of Corrections released a new mug shot of Fucci with his head shaved.
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This comes after a judge sentenced Fucci to life in prison Friday for the murder of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey.
Because of Fucci’s status as a juvenile, he was not eligible for the death penalty, and his sentence will be reviewed in 25 years.
Attorney Gene Nichols, who was not connected to Fucci’s case, told The Morning Show on Friday that even in prison, Fucci’s age is still a factor.
“He will stay in a juvenile area of a prison until he turns 18. After he turns 18, you can expect he will likely be in one of the maximum-security prisons throughout the state of Florida,” Nichols said.
He said it was surprising how quickly Fucci was transferred to the Department of Corrections. That transfer can sometimes take months.
Nichols explained that when Fucci’s sentence comes up for review in 25 years, the review board will consider many factors — including his behavior behind bars.
“You can expect though, reasonably speaking, he will put on all his mitigation showing what he has done in the prison system. And then the state will, once again, put on everything put on, really everything that they’ve put on the last few days,” Nichols said.
Fucci, who was 14 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, admitting to brutally stabbing Tristyn more than 100 times in the woods at the end of a cul-de-sac in the quiet Durbin Crossing neighborhood.
His two-day sentencing hearing this week included graphic testimony from investigators and emotional victim impact statements from Tristyn’s family.
READ: Fucci sentencing documents
In his final point, before he pronounced the life sentence, Judge R. Lee Smith said it was particularly troubling that “this crime had no motive.”
“This was not done out of greed. It was not done in retaliation or retribution or revenge. It was not a crime of passion. It was not a crime that was committed because he felt rejected by her. It was not done in a fit of uncontrollable anger. There was no reason. There was no purpose. It was done for no other reason than to satisfy this defendant’s internal desire to feel what it was like to kill someone,” Smith said. “This leads this court to the conclusion that there is only one appropriate sentence in this case.”
Tristyn’s family kept their remarks after the sentencing limited to a statement read by her father, Forrest, on behalf of “The Bailey 7,” as they’re known.
“We are very appreciative of this outcome and feel that it is the right verdict, considering how heinous the crime is and Aiden’s behavior around it,” Forrest Bailey said. “Today is about focusing on the people who helped deliver justice for our community.”
Nichols said at the 25-year review, Tristyn’s family will have their say about what should happen to Fucci.
“Not only will they be a part of it, everybody will be listening to what they have to say versus what anything he will be able to prove that he accomplished while he was in prison,” Nichols said.
Previous high-profile inmate
The male adult prison where Fucci is being held is known to have housed other inmates with extensive violent crime records.
Craig Price, 49, was a former inmate at Suwannee Correctional.
In 1989, Price was charged with killing 3 of his neighbors in a Rhode Island neighborhood, at the age of 15.
He was also charged with committing an unsolved murder of another neighbor, two years earlier when he was only 13.
At the time of Price’s arrest, he was one of the youngest serial killers in the United States.
Price was moved from Rhode Island to the Suwannee Correctional in 2004.
In 2019, Price was sentenced to an extra 25 years in prison for trying to kill a fellow inmate.
He is now being held in Union County.
