ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Florida judge sentenced a 16-year-old Florida boy to life in prison on Friday for fatally stabbing a 13-year-old classmate on Mother's Day in 2021.

Aiden Fucci, 16, was 14 when he stabbed Tristyn Bailey at least 114 times in the woods near where the teens lived in north Florida, prosecutors said.

"This case is probably the most difficult and shocking case that this county, St. Johns County, has dealt with," Judge Lee R. Smith said before ordering Fucci to prison for life.

Fucci, who pleaded guilty just before his trial was set to start in February, was not eligible for the death penalty because of his young age at the time of the crime. His case may be reviewed in 25 years, according to Florida law. His attorneys had sought a 40-year sentence.

Before invoking the sentence, the judge spoke to Bailey's family, noting the tremendous toll the girl's slaying has had on them.

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"Allow 'Bailey Sunday Fundays' to return to your home," he said, adding that Tristyn would have wanted her family to have fun again.

He also said he appreciated that her father, Forrest Bailey, was patient with the court proceedings.

The judge's order followed two days of testimony in a sentencing hearing. On Wednesday, members of the Bailey family read emotional victim impact statements to the court. Her older sister, Alexis Bailey, began her statement by dropping 114 aqua-colored stone hearts into a jar — one for each stab wound her sister suffered.

Fucci's grandmother, Deborah Spiwak, also attended that hearing, pleading for mercy for her grandson on Wednesday.

"Please don't take him out of our lives forever ... I know there's some good in Aiden," she said.

The judge noted her comment on Friday.

"That took a lot of courage. That was not easy, for her. But it showed this court that he had a good, stable home environment," Smith said of Fucci's upbringing.

Fucci and his parents each wrote letters to the judge, apologizing for his actions and asking for mercy.

Investigators said Fucci had told several friends he planned to kill someone, though it wasn’t clear whether Bailey was his intended target from the beginning.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The mother of Aiden Fucci, the 14-year-old Florida boy accused of murdering 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, was arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence.

According to the Associated Press, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a statement that Crystal Lane Smith was arrested in St. John's County Saturday and was later released on $25,000 bail.

The St. Augustine Record reported that Smith was arrested after authorities viewed footage from a surveillance camera inside the home, which allegedly showed Smith scrubbing a pair of her son Aiden Fucci's jeans, which were reportedly the pants he wore on the same night Bailey was killed.

Fucci, who is being tried as an adult for murder, reportedly stabbed Bailey 114 times, the AP reported.

The AP reported that the jeans Smith was allegedly scrubbing tested positive for blood, and traces of blood were also found in a sink drain.

In Florida, evidence tampering is a third-degree felony.

The AP reported that Fucci is being held without bond after pleading not guilty.

The alleged murder weapon, a knife, was found in a pond, the AP reported.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —

A 14-year-old from St. Johns County, Florida, who is accused of killing his classmate made his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Authorities say 14-year-old Aiden Fucci stabbed 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey to death.

Fucci is being held at the Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Volusia County, Florida. He is charged with second-degree murder in the death of the beloved cheerleader.

During a Zoom hearing that included Fucci, his parents, and attorneys, Juvenile Court Judge Michael Orfinger found probable cause to believe that an act of delinquency occurred and that Fucci is the person who committed it.

The teen allegedly killed Bailey, who was reported missing in St. Johns County early on Sunday. Her body was discovered Sunday night.

The victim and her accused killer attended the same school and lived in the same Durbin Crossing community.

Sheriff's detectives now say Bailey was stabbed to death and that evidence was discovered in the suspect's home.

Her death has devastated the community. Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Bailey's memory on Monday night.

Fucci is charged with second-degree murder, but that could change, officials said.

State Attorney's Office spokesman Bryan Shorstein wrote, "our office will continue to investigate the case to determine both the appropriate charges going forward, and whether or not he will be charged as an adult."

In the meantime, the 14-year-old murder suspect will remain in juvenile detention based on the probable cause finding.

During that detention hearing, an assistant state attorney indicated a filing decision will be made in that 21-day time frame.

The 21-day secure detention ends May 31.