St. Johns County FL — Aiden Fucci’s sentencing, the teen who pled guilty to murdering his classmate Trystan Bailey, is scheduled to begin March 21.
Action News Jax told you on Feb. 26 that Fucci changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of first degree murder on the day jury selection for his trial was supposed to begin. Due to the change, a jury trial is no longer necessary, and the court proceedings have now entered the sentencing phase.
Today in court, Judge Smith of St. Johns County stated that sentencing will begin March 21 and emphasized his desire to announce the sentence by March 23. In fact, Smith said that if possible, sentencing may actually begin on March 20 depending on scheduling. The attorneys will meet with the judge on March 8 to go over disposition motions and determine if sentencing can start early.
Fucci faces anywhere between 40 years to life in prison. He is not eligible for the death penalty due to being a minor. However, in order to sentence him to life in prison, Smith explained that he would have to consider seven different factors.
These factors include:
- Nature of the circumstances
- Effect of crime on victim’s family
- Mental/emotional health of defendant at the time of the offense
- Defendant’s background/family
- Extent of the defendant’s participation
- Possibility of rehabilitation of the defendant
Regardless of the sentencing, Fucci is entitled to review his sentence in 25 years because he is a minor.