The Horrific And Senseless Murder of Teenage Cheerleader Tristyn Bailey

I’ve been producing true crime content for several years now and I can say with certainty that the worst cases involve senseless murders like the murder of Tristyn Bailey. Add on the fact that not only is the murder victim a child, 13, but her killer was still a kid himself, 14.

There are still few details at the time of me writing this, but we know the basic outline of the case. Tristyn Bailey, a 13-year-old cheerleader, was stabbed to death in the woods near her home by a classmate, Aiden Fucci.

Why?

Tristyn Bailey attended Patriot Oaks Academy, where she excelled not only in the classroom but also in her cheerleading squad.

Looking through the dozens of photos of Tristyn and seeing the confident and loving child smiling and laughing with friends invokes a sense of dread and confusion.

It is tragic; it was senseless.

And to make the case even worse, Tristyn was murdered on May 9th, Mother’s Day.

Stabbed 114 times

Perhaps one of the more shocking aspects of Tristyn’s murder was the amount of stab wounds, an excessive 114, in which the Sheriff described as a “cold-blooded murder.” I can see that is difficult, if not impossible, to find words that truly describe the severity of this senseless crime. To Florida State Attorney R.J. Larizza, saying the murder of Tristyn Bailey “was horrific would be an understatement.”

Tristyn was stabbed in a wooded area close to her St. Johns County home, although further details, such as why she was in the woods, have not been made public.

Out of the 114 stab wounds, 49 were present on her hands and arms. These “defensive wounds” show that Tristyn fought Aiden and was not incapacitated during the murder.She suffered through this unimaginable terror.

“Wanted to Kill Someone”

Aiden’s true motivations for the murder are not yet known, but he has made multiple statements to friends of his that he “wanted to kill someone by stabbing them or slitting their throat.”

Aiden also expressed his desire to kill a “random person walking at night” and to “drag them into the woods and stab them.”

The murder weapon, which was a hunting knife, was pulled out of a local pond. Aiden chipped the tip of the knife off from sheer force of the attack. The medical examiner later discovered it embedded in Tristyn’s skull.

These words are chilling, not only because of their context but also because he was only 14-years-old when he committed this murder.

Was it a troubled home-life that gave Aiden Fucci these dark thoughts? Or perhaps blame should be laid on violent video games or music? There’s just not enough information available right now, so anything else would be speculation.

Snapchat Story

Not only did Aiden bludgeon his classmate to death with a hunting knife, he also bragged out it on social media after his arrest on May 10th.

The Snapchat photo he posted on his ‘Story’ is harrowing. Reflecting off the glass in the back of the police cruiser, the carefree youngster is seen giving a ‘peace sign’ while asking “Hey guys has inybody [sic] seen Tristyn lately.”

This photo might used against Aiden during his upcoming trial, which State Attorney R.J. Larizza has announced several types of evidence including snapchat videos, school records, and multiple surveillance clips including video from his one home.

Mom Washed Bloody Jeans

Aiden’s mother, Crystal Smith, turned herself in at the St. Johns County Jail on June 5th where she was released the same day after posting a $25,000 bond.

She was arrested for tampering with evidence, and the interviewing detective noticed Smith giving a “questioning look” to her son during his interview when asked about potential evidence which Smith “whispered ‘Blood’”.

Further damning to the mother is home surveillance footage of Crystal Smith washing her son’s bloody jeans after he murdered Tristyn. She afterward carefully put the washed jeans back in her son’s dresser.

Crystal Smith is scheduled to appear in court on July 26.