The sentencing hearing for the teen who pleaded guilty in February to killing 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey in 2021 began on Tuesday.
The prosecution’s goal was to paint a picture of who Fucci was at the time of Tristyn’s murder.
The prosecution called witnesses to the stand, including a detective, crime scene technician, sergeant and undercover detective with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Judge R. Lee Smith also heard from a crime scene analyst from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Dr. James Fulcher, Chief Medical Examiner for Volusia County and Dr. Gregory Prichard, a licensed psychologist.
Tristyn’s teacher, cheerleading coach and a friend of the Bailey family also got to deliver victim impact statements to the court.
Prichard, a witness for the state, revealed some disturbing new details during the first day of the two-day hearing.
Psychologist Dr. Greg Prichard described early signs of what he called Aiden Fucci’s “unusual” fascination with gore and violence and he shared chilling details from an interview he had with Fucci’s former girlfriend.
Prichard took the stand, revealing troubling details about Fucci’s mental state in the time leading up to Tristyn’s stabbing death on Mother’s Day 2021.
“One teacher noted that Fucci and his friends had a fascination with gore,” Prichard said. “This is important because there was a lot of this killing and death talk that is unusual.”
Even more disturbing, Prichard said, when interviewing Fucci’s former girlfriend, she noted that Fucci would “take his knife out and pretend stabbing her” and that Fucci once noted “how easy it would be to kill her while she slept.”
However, the biggest piece of information yet was a question that Fucci’s former girlfriend said he asked her in the month leading up to Tristyn’s murder, providing an ominous foreshadowing.
“‘What would you really do if I killed somebody? Expect me to kill somebody in the coming month,’” Prichard said, noting the question Fucci asked his former girlfriend.
Prichard also said the most important aspect in determining an individual’s ability for rehabilitation, which is a large factor in sentencing, is their behavior and remorse shown after the crime.
He went on to note that Fucci has not at this point seemingly shown remorse or any hope as a candidate for rehabilitation.
Fucci’s sentencing hearing will continue Wednesday morning.