Jacksonville, Fla. – Dean is now serving a life sentence after being accused of brutally murdering his schoolmate on Mother’s Day 2021.
Aiden Fucci, 16, was booked Suwannee Correctional Institution Friday at Live Oak. The male prison has a capacity of 1,109 inmates.
The Florida Department of Corrections released a new mug shot of Fucci with his shaved head.
Related: ‘There was no motive for this crime’: Aidan Fuzzi sentenced to life in Tristin Bailey murder | Judge to Tristin Bailey’s family: Murderer’s sentence ‘can’t cure you’ | ‘Right verdict’: Tristin Bailey’s family reacts to killer’s conviction, warns other families
It comes after a judge on Friday sentenced Fauci to life in prison for murdering 13-year-old Tristin Bailey.
Because Fucci is a juvenile, he is not eligible for the death penalty, and his sentence will be reviewed in 25 years.
Attorney Gene Nichols, who is not connected to Fucci’s case, told The Morning Show on Friday that even in prison, Fucci’s age is still a factor.
“He will be in the juvenile section of the prison until he turns 18. After he turns 18, you can expect him to be in one of the maximum security prisons across the state of Florida,” Nichols said.
He said it was surprising how quickly Fucci was transferred to the prison department. That transfer can sometimes take months.
Nichols explained that when Fuzzi’s sentence comes up for review in 25 years, the review board will consider several factors.
“To be fair, you would expect him to go through all the mitigations that show what he’s done in prison. And then the state, once again, wears everything they’ve put on, literally everything they’ve put on the last few days,” Nichols said.
Fuzzi, who was 14 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, admitting to brutally stabbing Tristin more than 100 times in the woods at the end of a cul-de-sac in the quiet Durbin Crossing neighborhood.
His two-day sentencing hearing this week included graphic testimony from investigators and emotional victim impact statements from Tristin’s family.
According to: Fucci sentencing documents
In his final phase, before he pronounced the life sentence, Judge R. Lee Smith said it was particularly troubling that “there was no motive for this crime”.
“It was not done out of greed. It was not done out of revenge or vengeance or revenge. It is not a crime of passion. It wasn’t a crime because she felt rejected by her. It was not done in uncontrollable anger. There is no reason. There was no purpose. It was done for no other reason than to satisfy this defendant’s internal desire to feel what it would be like to kill someone,” Smith said. “This leads this court to conclude that there is only one appropriate sentence in this case.”
Tristin’s family kept their comments after the sentencing to only a statement read by his father, Forrest, on behalf of “The Bailey 7.”
“We are very appreciative of this decision and feel it was the right decision given the heinous nature of the crime and Aidan’s behavior surrounding it,” said Forrest Bailey. “Today focuses on the people who helped bring justice to our society.”
In the 25-year review, Tristin’s family will have their say on what should happen to Fuzzi, Nichols said.
“Not only will they be a part of it, but everyone will hear what they have to say against what he can demonstrate what he accomplished while in prison,” Nichols said.
A former high profile prisoner
The men’s prison where Fucci is held is known to house other inmates with extensive violent criminal records.
Craig Price, 49, was a former inmate at Suwannee Correctional.
In 1989, Price was accused of murdering his neighbor in a Rhode Island neighborhood at the age of 15.
He is also accused of the unsolved murder of another neighbor two years ago when he was 13.
At the time of Price’s arrest, he was one of America’s youngest serial killers.
Price transferred from Rhode Island to Suwannee Correctional in 2004.
In 2019, Price was sentenced to an additional 25 years in prison for attempting to kill a fellow inmate.
He is now being held in Union County.
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