Tristyn Bailey murder probe update to be announced TODAY as calls mount to try ‘killer’ Aiden Fucci, 14, as an adult
PROSECUTORS are set to announce an update today in the murder investigation of slain teen Tristyn Bailey, as calls grow for her alleged killer Aiden Fucci to be charged as an adult.
Florida State Attorney R.J. Larizza will be holding a press conference at the St. Johns County Courthouse at 4pm, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office confirmed to The Sun.
Read our Aiden Fucci live blog for the very latest news and updates…
The state attorney’s office said the investigation is now in its final stages.
“We appreciate the patience and support from family, friends, neighbors and all of the folks who have been following this disturbing case,” the spokesperson said.
“It is Mr. Larizza’s intention to address several questions and issues that surfaced as a result of this brutal homicide at that time.”
Fucci, 14, is currently charged with second-degree murder in 13-year-old Trystin’s death.
He was arrested on May 10 just hours after her body was found by a pond, with a “significant injury” to her head, and a “horrific” number of stab wounds.
Hundreds of thousands of people have since signed an online petition, urging prosecutors to try Fucci as an adult for the brutal murder and upgrade his charges to murder in the first degree.
The state attorney’s office has not yet determined if Fucci will be charged as an adult.
Prosecutors have until May 31st – or 21 days after the date of his arrest – to make a decision on the matter.
On Friday, a judge allowed Fucci’s original attorney to withdraw from the case.
The move came after his father, Jason Fucci, a convicted child abuser, was granted indigency status by a judge, having initially been rejected.
Jacksonville attorney Anwar Snober withdrew as Fucci’s counsel. The teen will now be represented by the public defender’s office.
Bailey was found stabbed to death in a wooded area near her home in St. Johns County on May 9.
The country sheriff called her death a “cold-blooded murder”, and said “the word accident is nowhere near involved in this case.”
Within eight hours, Fucci, a classmate of Bailey’s, was arrested by police.
Investigators say his story has changed multiple times since the beginning of the investigation, but claim he’s made a number of admissions that were verified using surveillance footage and other pieces of evidence.
As news of the murder made headlines across the US, a social media image surfaced of Fucci, appearing to show him holding up a peace sign in the back of a police car.
The caption to the image, which appeared to have been posted on Snapchat, read: “Hey guys has inybody (sic) seen Tristyn lately.”
Police confirmed the image was being reviewed as potential evidence in the case.
According to Fucci’s arrest report, surveillance footage shows two people matching his and Bailey’s description walking together at about 1.14am on Sunday.
A neighbor’s surveillance camera also reportedly shows the same pair walking along Saddlestone Drive, close to where Bailey’s body was found, about 30 minutes later.
One of the people in the footage was wearing black pants and a black shirt, the same clothes Bailey was wearing when her body was found in the pond the next day.
The other person was wearing shorts, a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, and white shoes with a black Nike logo.
The arrest report said only this person was seen walking away from the area at around 3.27am carrying the white shoes in their hand.
A search of his home also yielded “multiple items of evidenciary value” at Fucci’s home, police said, including items of clothing that tested positive for the presence of blood.
The sheriff’s office has declined to release new information in the case.
Details on the murder weapon or a motive for the crime have also not been released.
“This is a cold-blooded murder by an individual who, I’m not even gonna give his name. He doesn’t even deserve for his name to be mentioned,” Sheriff Rob Hardwick said during a press conference earlier this month.
““This is a cold-blooded murder of a 13-year-old young girl who did not deserve to die.”
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If prosecutors decline to prosecute Fucci as an adult, he cannot legally be held in jail beyond the age of 21.
Fucci currently remains in a state-run juvenile detention facility in Volusia County.
He is being held without bond.