>>MELANIE LAWSON: WELCOME BACK. A CASE. THE NEWS FOR JAX’S FOLLOWED CLOSELY FOR 2
YEARS WRAPPED IN SAINT JOHNS
COUNTIES COURTROOM THIS WEEK.
AIDEN FUCCI WAS SENTENCED TO
LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER
OF 13 YEAR-OLD TRISTYN BAILEY
BAILEY WAS KILLED ON MOTHER’S
DAY 2021. SHE WAS STABBED MORE
THAN 100 TIMES NEW TODAY. 8 IN
FOOD. SHE IS NOW IN PRISON.
THIS IS THE NEW MUG SHOT TAKEN
IN SUWANNEE CORRECTIONAL
FACILITY. AND JOINING US THIS
MORNING IS ATTORNEY GENE
NICHOLS NOT FULLY WITH THE
CASE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR MORE.
HAPPY TO BE HERE. ABSOLUTELY.
SO WE WERE SURPRISED TO FIND
THAT FOOD. SHE WAS TRANSFERRED
TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS SEEMINGLY
OVERNIGHT. YOU KNOW, WE SEE
MORE CAN TAKE A COUPLE WEEKS
FOR THAT. CAN YOU PROVIDE?
SOME INSIGHT IS THAT WAS
QUICKLY. SURE. SOMETIMES IT
CAN TAKE A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS WANTS TO DO WHEN
THEY WANT TO COME GET THE
PERSON. BUT IN A CASE LIKE
THIS, YOU KNOW THAT THE
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE,
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY SHERIFF’S
OFFICE WANTED HIM OUT OF THEIR
FACILITY BECAUSE OF THE
SECURITY CONCERNS.
>> BECAUSE OF THE EXTRA MONEY,
THEY’RE PROBABLY SPENDING IN
DEALING WITH HIM. THEY WANTED
TO GET HIM OUT OF THE SYSTEM,
THEIR SYSTEM AS QUICKLY AS
THEY COULD. SO I’M NOT
SURPRISED IN THIS CASE BEING A
HIGH-PROFILE CASE THAT THEY
MOVED HIM OUT INTO THE STATE
SYSTEM AS QUICKLY AS THEY
POSSIBLY COULD.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND WITH
FOOD, SHE GOING TO THE DEO SEE
NOW THAT MEANS THAT HE
COMPLETELY BYPASS THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE
JUSTICE. REMEMBER, HE IS STILL
A MINOR. HE IS 16 YEARS OLD.
YOU KNOW THAT DEVIATES FROM
CASES THAT I’M SURE YOU
REMEMBER LIKE LOGAN MATER,
CHRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, CAN YOU
PROVIDE ANY INSIGHT INTO THAT
AND WHY?
>> WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE
IS HE’S RECEIVED A PRISON
SENTENCE. AND NOW WHAT WE ALSO
KNOW IS THEY’RE NOT JUST GOING
TO PUT HIM IN A FACILITY WITH
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OVER 18
WHO WERE WITH ADULT. SO THE
FIRST THING THEY’RE GOING TO
DO IS THEY’RE GOING TO FIND A
FACILITY FOR HIM. AND RIGHT
NOW HE’S PROBABLY JUST GOING
TO BE HELD FOR SHORT PERIOD OF
TIME UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT THE
RIGHT FACILITY TO PUT HIM IN
WHERE THEY HAVE THE ROOM WHERE
THEY HAVE THE SPACE AND HE
WILL STAY IN A JUVENILE AREA
OF A PRISON UNTIL HE TURNS 18
AFTER HE TURNS 18 THAN YOU CAN
EXPECT HE’S GOING TO BE IN
MOST LIKELY ONE OF THE MANY
MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISONS
THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF
FLORIDA. AND AGAIN, THEY WILL
PUT HIM WHERE THEY DEEM BEST
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
MOVES PEOPLE ALL THE TIME AS
WELL. SO WHERE HE START
CLEARLY MAY NOT BE WHERE HE
FINISHES UP.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND AS WE
KNOW, JEANNE, THE LAW
STIPULATES THAT 25 YEARS FROM
NOW, HIS SENTENCE MUST BE
REVISITED. THAT IS THE LAW.
THERE IS NO OTHER SAYING THAT
IT HAS TO HAPPEN. 25 YEARS
FROM NOW TO DETERMINE IF HE IS
STILL A THREAT TO SOCIETY, CAN
YOU SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT
KIND OF FACTORS THAT REVIEW
BOARD WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT?
WHAT? SO WE HAVEN’T SEEN ONE
YET BECAUSE WHAT WE KNOW AT
LEAST HERE IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA IS THIS IS NEW TO US.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO WHEN WE
GET TO IT, WHAT THE COURT’S
GOING TO LOOK AT IT, THEY’RE
GOING TO LOOK AT ONE WHAT HE’S
DONE FOR THOSE 25 YEARS WHILE
HE’S BEEN IN PRISON, HAS HE
BEEN REHABILITATED? WE HEARD
OVER AND OVER DURING THE
HEARINGS DURING THE TESTIMONY
AND DURING JUDGE SMITH’S
PRONUNCIATION, THE SENATE
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT HE HAS
REHABILITATED OR WILL
REHABILITATE. SO YOU CAN
EXPECT THAT WHAT WILL BE HEARD
AT THAT TIME ARE NOT ONLY FROM
THE STATE STANDPOINT, ALL OF
THE FACTS THAT HAVE ALREADY
BEEN PUT INTO EVIDENCE, BUT
ALSO WHETHER OR NOT HE HAS
REHABILITATED. SO THEN CANNED
THE COURTS MAKE A DECISION. IS
IT IS HE WORTH PUTTING BACK
INTO SOCIETY? IS HE
ACCOMPLISHED WHAT HE NEEDS TO
GET BACK? BUT AGAIN, WE
HAVEN’T SEEN ONE YET. SO YOU
CAN EXPECT THE REASONABLY
SPEAKING. HE WILL PUT ON WAS
MITIGATION SHOWING WHAT HE HAS
DONE IN THE PRISON SYSTEM AND
THEN THE STATE WILL ONCE AGAIN
PUT ON EVERYTHING REALLY THAT
THEY’VE ALREADY PUT ON THAT
THEY PUT ON THE LAST FEW DAYS
AND TALKING ABOUT
REHABILITATION. IF THAT’S A
POSSIBILITY, YOU KNOW, THAT’S
GOING TO BE
>>MELANIE LAWSON: PROCESS.
WILL HE HAVE ACCESS TO
RESOURCES IN THE D O C TO HELP
IN SOME THERE WILL BE SOME.
BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME WE
HEARD JUDGE SMITH TALK ABOUT
THE FACT THAT ABOUT
REHABILITATION. AND THIS DOES
NOT SEEM LIKE THE CASE. AND
THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A
YOUNG PERSON WHO IS GOING TO
BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE
STEPS NECESSARY FOR
REHABILITATION WHAT HE DID WAS
SUCH AN AWFUL CRIME AND WHAT
HE DID TO THIS FAMILY AND
BASED UPON REALLY THE LACK OF
REMORSE THAT WAS SHOWN. THEY
WILL HAVE TO BE A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF STEPS OVER THE NEXT
25 YEARS THAT THE PRISON
SYSTEM JUST REALLY ISN’T
DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY, THE
FINANCIAL ABILITY, THE
CAPABILITY TO BE ABLE TO HELP
A YOUNG PERSON LIKE THIS. GET
TO WHERE HE WOULD NEED TO BE.
SO I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF WE
EVER SAW HIM STEP OUTSIDE OF A
PRISON EVER AGAIN, WE HAVE
TIME FOR JUST ONE MORE
QUESTION WHEN THAT 25 YEAR
SENTENCE REVIEW DOES COME UP
IN THE FUTURE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: TRISTYN
BAILEY’S FAMILY. WILL THEY
HAVE A SAY IN THAT AT ALL?
THERE’S NO QUESTION THEY WILL
HAVE A SAYING THAT THAT WILL
BE THEY WILL.
>> HAVE THE CHOICE TO BE
THERE. THEY’LL HAVE THE CHOICE
TO BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF IT.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS ALL OF WHAT
WAS PUT INTO EVIDENCE OVER THE
LAST COUPLE DAYS. IT CAN COME
INTO COURT AND JUST LEAVING IT
AT THAT. IF THE FAMILY DOESN’T
WANT TO PARTICIPATE, I’M SURE
BASED UPON WHAT WE HAVE SEEN
IN THIS CASE AND WHAT WE HAVE
LEARNED FROM THE BAILEY
FAMILY, THEY’LL BE THERE.
EVERYBODY WILL BE THERE IN
ORDER TO CONVEY EXACTLY WHAT
THEY HAVE ALREADY CONVEYED. SO
YES, NOT ONLY WILL THEY BE A
PART OF IT, EVERYBODY WILL BE
LISTENING TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO
SAY VERSUS WHAT ANYTHING HE
WILL BE ABLE TO PROVE THAT HE
ACCOMPLISH WHILE HE WAS IN