By Antonio Planas -
NBC News
The Florida teenager who fatally stabbed 13-year-old
cheerleader
Tristyn Bailey 114 times in 2021 has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities said.
Aiden Fucci, 16, was sentenced by Judge R. Lee Smith, said Haley Harrison of the Florida 7th Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.
Harrison said Fucci's sentence is subject to review by a judge in 25 years.
[Life imprisonment for three relatives for the murder of a security guard in Michigan after arguing over a mask]
Fucci pleaded guilty in February to first-degree murder.
He was 14 years old when he was arrested for the murder on May 9, 2021.
Tristyn's father, Forest,
spoke on behalf of his family on Friday following the verdict.
He sent a message to his late daughter.
Aiden Fucci at the Saint Johns County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida on February 23. Bob Self / USA Today Network
“Tristyn, I wanted you to know that we are extremely proud of the person you were in the time you were here,” he declared.
“We have seen that when you went out into the world, you gave your best.
You should be proud of the friend you were, the teammate you were, what you left behind and the people who knew you, who we trust will carry on and continue to make the world a better place."
His voice cracked as he continued to speak.
“Regarding what you mean to our family, you are in our hearts.
There are no words.
We love you.
We will continue to hold you in our hearts and we will always be the Bailey Seven,” she noted.
He thanked the judge for the sentence he handed down.
“We are very grateful and feel this is the correct verdict considering how heinous the crime and Aiden's behavior are,” he stated.
[Life in prison for white supremacist who killed 10 black people in a Buffalo supermarket]
He added that Fucci's family should not be mistreated because they too are suffering.
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“Please be nice to them.
They should be given grace for the pain they are going through.
They should not be given an additional hardship,” she added.
Bailey was found dead in a woods outside of Jacksonville.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Fucci told investigators that he got into an argument with Bailey and pushed her to the ground after they left a mutual friend's house before dawn on May 9.
While still considered a witness, Fucci took a photo of himself in the back of a police vehicle displaying a peace sign and posted the image on social media with the caption: “Hey guys, has anyone seen Tristyn lately? ”.
He was arrested on May 10 and initially charged with second degree murder.
Tristyn Bailey, 13 years old.
Days later, a grand jury indicted him for first-degree murder, and Fucci was to stand trial as an adult.
State Attorney RJ Larizza stated that the number of stabbings supported the accusation and showed that the attack was premeditated.
On Wednesday, Bailey's family offered emotional testimony during the sentencing hearing.
[Attorney Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of his wife and youngest son in South Carolina]
Alexis Bailey, Tristyn's sister, dropped 114 teal stones into a glass jar to represent each time Fucci stabbed her younger sister.
“Aiden Fucci not only took Tristyn's life that day, he took everything from us
,” she testified during the hearing.
Alexis and another sister, Brittney Bailey Russell, have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since the murder.
Russell was on his honeymoon when she found out that her sister was missing.
“Agony is not painful enough.
Shattered to the core, I can't explain how I feel.
Enraged is not even close to the amount of rage that I find myself trapped in,” she stated.
“And let me tell you that justice is just a word of comfort.
It doesn't bring her back," Russell recalled.