Fucci, 16, will receive a sentence ranging from 40 years to life in prison, according to Judge R. Lee Smith's decision. Fucci's first-degree guilty plea is ineligible for the death penalty because he is a minor. The sentencing hearings might last into the following week and involve the calling of up to a dozen more witnesses. Smith has already stated that he will choose a punishment within a week.
In February, he declared, "I'm not going to drag this out any longer than necessary. "I don't want to go through the sentence hearing and then announce that I'll take another three weeks," the defendant said.
The Sheriff's Office reported that Tristyn and Fucci were last seen walking together around one in the morning on May 9, 2021. They had been at a friend's house in their Dubrin Crossing area. Later that day, in the nearby woods, Bailey's body was discovered after a missing-persons complaint was made.
The victim impact statements were read by Bailey's family members on Wednesday, Day 2 of the sentencing phase. They all wore teal-colored attire while testifying, remembering Tristyn's disappearance, the discovery of her body, and how it has affected their lives ever since.
One teal stone was placed into a glass jar by Tristyn's second-oldest sister, Alexis Bailey, at the start of the day, one stone for each time Fucci had stabbed her younger sister. They added a white stone to the glass jar and explained what it meant to them at the conclusion of each of their statements.
When Tristyn was still missing, St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Deputy Robert Maloney was one of the first to speak with Fucci. Fucci verified that they were hanging out at a friend's house until they left together at around one in the morning, and he arrived home at around 3:30. However, the deputy drew attention to a few inconsistencies in Fucci's timeline.
He claimed to have visited Fucci's house again to speak with him and to ask him to accompany him on a ride so that he could show him the route that he and Tristyn followed. With a golf cart, his stepfather trailed behind.
Maloney claimed that Fucci continually revising his account of their breakup. Afterwards he admitted that they had a fight. Maloney specifically claimed that she grabbed his penis, and he apologized to the court for what he was about to say. He shoved her to the ground and struck her in the head, claiming he didn't like it and didn't want to cheat on his girlfriend. Then, he claimed, he left.
Maloney then declared that Fucci was presently in police custody. He broke down in tears and declared, "I'm going to get arrested for bulls—-," while he waited.
Marilyn Butts, a crime scene technician with the Sheriff's Office, was the second witness of the day. At the incident and at Fucci's house, she snapped dozens of pictures.
She claimed that Tristyn was found with a $20 note, a vape pen, a ring, and a cellphone that had been photographed. She presented photographic evidence of his Nike shoes, white T-shirt, and blue jeans, all of which may have had blood on them, in Fucci's house and in his bedroom.
The following witness, Sgt. Kurt Hannon of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, said that Fucci's best friend and girlfriend both said he had an obsession with knives, carried one about him, and displayed them. Even so, he gave them the names "Picker" and "Poker."
During the inquiry, Hannon had Fucci in the back of his patrol cruiser and observed him using his cellphone to post to social media. Afterwards, two pictures and two videos from Snapchat were displayed to the court. Fucci was talking about being in the back of an expletive-filled police cruiser with his best friend. Hey guys, has anyone seen Tristyn Bailey lately?, Hannon claimed he was saying.
Detective Tyler Thompson of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office was the fifth witness to be called. Fucci and his parents were recorded during his testimony in a separate Sheriff's Office room.
The severity of the situation was acknowledged, as well as the fact that his Snapchat didn't assist. He gave off a calm exterior but was reserved. His mother remarked, "This is no joke; this is your whole life.
He acknowledged that Tristyn had indeed grabbed him when she questioned this. She also inquired as to his level of fear, to which he replied, "Not really, but a bit." Also, his stepfather advised against leaving a 13-year-old girl outside alone herself at that time. They also attempted to prepare him for how to respond to inquiries. His mother told him, "Anything you say will effect you."
