Aiden Fucci Gets Life in Prison for Murder of 13-Year-Old Cheerleader Tristyn Bailey

Teenager Aiden Fucci, who pleaded guilty last month to murdering 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey, was sentenced to life in prison Friday. Florida Judge R. Lee Smith said called Fucci’s attack “heinous, atrocious, and cruel” and “committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner.” Fucci, a classmate of Bailey’s, convinced her to sneak out and meet him at a friend’s house on Mother’s Day in 2021, and a security camera caught two figures that appeared to be the pair walking down a nearby street. Bailey was later found with 114 stab wounds, and the camera caught a single figure—presumably Fucci—walking back alone around 2 hours later. Fucci, who was just 14 at the time of the murder, initially pleaded not guilty but continually changed his account of what happened that night before eventually pleading guilty when jury selection began. He must serve 25 years before he is eligible for review of his sentence.