ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Wednesday was an emotional day in court for the family and friends of Tristyn Bailey, the teen killed by her classmate Aiden Fucci on Mother’s Day 2021.
The Bailey family, who calls themselves “the Bailey 7,” shared their grief and pain during the second day of Fucci’s sentencing hearing, adding that they do not forgive Fucci for what he’s done.
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Fucci pleaded guilty to Tristyn’s murder in February, just as his trial was set to begin.
Tristyn’s siblings explained to the court what the murder has taken from them.
“You took away my baby sister,” Teegan Bailey said of Tristyn, recalling how he would “spoil her” with Starbucks drinks.
Her parents talked about the hole in their hearts after losing their youngest child.
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“The door to Tristyn’s room remains closed. It is exactly as she left it. Her bed is unmade,” Stacy Bailey, Tristyn’s mother, said.
“It hurts us to the core to sit in my chair at the head of the table and have our baby not in her chair but in an urn sitting on a shelf in front of me,” Forrest Bailey, Tristyn’s father, said.
Stacy and Forrest Bailey also took the opportunity to address Fucci directly.
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“I will pray every day that you stay in prison for the rest of your life,” Stacy Bailey said.
“I want to be clear that your insincere apology is not accepted,” Forrest Bailey said of the apology Fucci made in court when he pleaded guilty.
Fucci’s grandmother also spoke in court. She said she prays for the Bailey family.
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“That is not the boy that I knew, I don’t know what happened,” Deborah Spevak said. “He’s always been such a good kid and I don’t even know where that came from.”
Spevak said she wished the Bailey family could somehow find peace.
“I know the heartache you must be going through, it’s just terrible,” she said. “And I just hope that you find peace.”
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With Fucci pleading guilty to stabbing Tristyn 114 times, the Bailey family asked Judge R. Lee Smith to sentence Fucci to the maximum punishment available in this case, life without parole.
“Please consider everything he has done to our family,” Stacy Bailey said. “He is beyond saving.”
Judge Smith is expected to announce his sentence for Fucci on Friday. Court resumes at 9 a.m. Friday.
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