A Florida courtroom was left reeling on Friday as a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to life behind bars for the gruesome murder of his own friend and classmate.
Aiden Fucci was found guilty of first-degree murder, with Judge R. Lee Smith condemning him for the "painful, horrifying death" he inflicted upon 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey.
The case has gripped the nation due to the young age of both the perpetrator and victim and the brutality of the crime.
Fucci had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Tristyn, who was stabbed to death on Mother's Day in 2021.
The sentencing followed two days of intense testimony in which Tristyn's family members recounted the devastating impact of her loss.
Her sister, Alexis Bailey, even dropped 114 aqua stone hearts into a jar - one for each of the stab wounds inflicted on Tristyn by Fucci, USAToday reported.
The prosecution had pushed for a life sentence without parole, but due to Fucci's status as a juvenile, the judge was required to hand down a minimum sentence of 40 years to life.
It is only after Fucci has served 25 years that the judge may consider a lighter sentence, according to Florida law.
Tristyn's body was found in the woods off a neighbourhood cul-de-sac, 17 hours after she was reported missing.
Medical examiners discovered she had suffered 114 stab wounds, with 49 of those being defensive.
The horrific nature of her death sent shockwaves throughout the country.
While Fucci's family acknowledged his responsibility for the crime, his grandmother pleaded with the judge not to "take him out of our lives forever."
However, Judge R. Lee Smith was resolute in his decision, telling Fucci: "You'll have a long time to think about what you did."
What led to the murder of Tristyn Bailey?
On the night of May 8, 2021, the Bailey family returned home after an evening out. At about midnight, Tristyn Bailey was last seen by one of her siblings and was supposed to be sleeping in her bedroom.
However, at 12.30am, video footage showed Tristyn walking in the neighbourhood, and at 1.14am, two people - believed to be Tristyn and Aiden Fucci - were seen walking together.
Further evidence from a home surveillance camera showed Tristyn and Fucci walking east on Saddlestone Drive at 1.45am.
At 3.30am, video footage from the same home surveillance camera showed a person believed to be Fucci walking alone in the opposite direction carrying white Nike shoes. Moments later, Fucci was seen entering his home carrying the same shoes.
At 10am, Tristyn's mother reported her missing, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement joined the search. Later in the day, at 4.49pm, a Florida Missing Child Alert was issued for Tristyn, and the search continued.
At 6.06pm, a resident who had been on a run called to report a body in the woods east of the cul-de-sac on Saddlestone Drive.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office identified the body as Tristyn's and called off the search.
At 8pm, the Sheriff's Office announced that a body had been found and preliminarily identified it as Tristyn's. Fucci and his parents were then placed in a St. Johns County Sheriff's Office interview room at 8.49pm.
The following day, on May 10, investigators searched the Fucci home and found evidence, including a knife sheath, a pair of wet, white Nike shoes with blood on them, a T-shirt with blood on it, a white piece of paper with handwriting with possible blood on it, and a pair of wet blue denim jeans in a laundry basket.
Blood and dirt were also found on the drain in the bathroom sink next to Aiden's bedroom. At 3.30am, Aiden was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder.
Later that day, at 11.30am, the Sheriff's Office confirmed the identity of the body found as Tristyn Bailey and announced the arrest of Fucci on charges of second-degree murder, which two weeks later, changed to first-degree murder.
