Aiden Fucci pleads not guilty in murder of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - The 14-year-old accused of killing his 13-year-old classmate in St. Johns County has pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder, new documents show.
The plea comes ahead of Aiden Fucci's June 10 felony arraignment.
Last week, Fucci appeared over a Zoom call when a judge ordered that he be held without bond. Fucci will be charged as an adult.
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Fucci allegedly stabbed Tristyn Bailey 114 times, prosecutors said.
"It was clear to us after we looked at what happened, that it was not only appropriate to charge the defendant as an adult, but it was really the only choice that we could make."
Investigators say an exact motive is unclear. If Fucci is convicted, he could face life in prison.
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Bailey was last seen early May 9 at the community center in the Durbin Crossing community south of Jacksonville. Officials say Bailey's parents reported her missing later that morning, and a neighbor found her body in a heavily wooded area that evening.
According to investigators, Aiden attended Patriot Oaks Academy along with Tristyn, and the two grew up in the same neighborhood.
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