ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Aiden Fucci, 14, appeared before a judge Friday morning in a virtual first appearance on upgraded charges in the “horrific” murder of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey.
The judge ordered Fucci to be held without bond on the first-degree murder charge he faces. The public defender representing Fucci did not object but did say a motion for bond could be filed at a later time.
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Prosecutors made court filings Thursday to upgrade Fucci’s charge from second-degree murder to first-degree murder and charge him as an adult after reviewing the evidence in the case.
Arraignment for Fucci is expected to take place within one week.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said during an update on the case Thursday a grand jury in St. Johns County indicted Fucci on the upgraded charges.
Bailey was found stabbed to death in a wooded area near her St. Johns County home on May 9. Larizza said the girl was stabbed a total of 114 times with at least 49 stab wounds to her hands, arms and head that were defensive in nature.
“We can’t see what happened at this pond but we know there was a struggle,” Larizza said, also saying, “To say that it was horrific would be an understatement.”
The murder weapon was found in a nearby pond not far from where the fatal attack took place, Larizza said. The hunting knife recovered was missing a tip and that piece was found on Bailey’s body, according to the state attorney’s office.
Because Fucci is being charged as an adult, the 14-year-old will be transferred out of a juvenile facility to another outside of Volusia County. He will be kept separately from the adult inmates at the new facility, which has not been disclosed.