Judge approves state’s motion to have 6-person jury in Aiden Fucci murder trial

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County teen accused of killing his classmate in 2021 appeared in court on Friday.

One of the motions that was considered in court was filed by the state, which is asking for a six-person jury instead of the usual 12-person jury in the murder trial of Aiden Fucci. The judge granted that motion.

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Investigators say Fucci stabbed his classmate, 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, more than 100 times in the Durbin Crossing neighborhood on Mother’s Day in 2021.

All cases where death could be a sentence requires a 12-person jury. But since Fucci is a minor, he can’t receive the death penalty.

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We asked Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson why the state filed the motion. Carson is a lawyer and has decades of experience in law enforcement.

“The reason for a six-person jury is it’s more likely to convict than a 12-person jury. If you’re a defense attorney, you want 12 people on the panel in the hopes that one of those 12 individuals, those sworn jurors, will not agree with the conviction,” Carson said. “The defense can argue against it, but ultimately it’s a decision for the bench, the judge, to make.

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Carson said when you have to only convince six jurors versus 12, it’s easier to get a unanimous decision.

A motion to move Fucci’s trial out of St. Johns County was previously denied. Jury selection is set to start Feb. 6.

You can read the full motion filed by the state below:

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