There’s been one more major development in the case involving the mother of convicted murderer Aiden Fucci!
For those who haven’t been keeping up with the case, the teen brutally killed his classmate, 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey, two years ago. Aiden, then 14 years old, stabbed his classmate 114 times near a retention pond in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 9, 2021. When the teenager returned home after the horrific murder, surveillance footage showed his mom Crystal Smith washing his blood-covered pants. Awful. Despite attempting to clean the clothing item, police said it tested positive for traces of blood, along with the drain in the sink. She was then also arrested on June 5, 2022 — for tampering with evidence.
Related: Alleged Drunk Driver Who Killed Bride & Injured Groom Said She ‘Did Nothing Wrong’
After Aiden pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was given a life sentence for his crime, Crystal was expected to head to court soon for her involvement. Jury selection was scheduled to start on Monday with the trial set to begin on Wednesday. However, it looks like the trial won’t be happening now! According to Action News Jax, Crystal changed her plea from not guilty to no contest in court on Friday. What does this mean for the mom? She will now serve 30 days in the St. Johns County Jail in Florida (and has already received a credit for one day). Crystal was also sentenced to five years probation and can apply for early termination after three years.
Quite a slap on the wrist considering the crime she helped with… Wow.
During the hearing, Crystal’s attorney said she regretted how her horrific actions affected the Bailey family, arguing “she was a frantic mother who was trying to find out what was going on with her son.” However, Tristyn’s mom, Stacey Bailey, expressed in court that what Crystal did “will haunt me for the rest of my life,” saying:
“I have tried to put myself in your shoes on that day but I can’t… Because I could never put someone else’s child in harm’s way. The choices you made on Mother’s Day May 9, 2021 will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
We cannot imagine how painful this process must have been for Stacey. At least Crystal’s plea now marks the end of the two-year case for the victim’s family. They released a statement to Action News Jax via their attorney Matthew Hinson, saying they were “involved” in the plea decision on Friday:
“As it was on March 24th when Aiden Fucci was sentenced to life in prison, today’s result and credit goes to the hard work of many. To begin with, we would like to thank Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit Court as a whole, and Judge Smith particularly, for doing their best to resolve the cases in a timely manner. We would again like to thank the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office for their indelible spirit to get justice for our community. We will never be able to appropriately express our gratitude to Jennifer Dunton for the exceptional way in which she handled every aspect of the case. We want to be clear that the state attorney’s office involved us in today’s decision and we are supportive of the final outcome based on the law.”
The statement continued:
“Along these lines, we continue to benefit from the unmatched investigative work done by the Saint Johns Sheriff’s Office. The evidence and investigation done by the team enabled the evidence to be overwhelming in both cases. With the legal proceedings now complete, our hopes are with our community moving ahead. We hope for Tristyn’s classmates – that they will fully enjoy their milestones in the coming weeks. We hope for the parents of our community – that they help their children move forward with love, affection, and careful attention to their use of social media. We hope – that through your smiles, Tristyn’s bright smile will shine forever. Finally, for those who sacrificed so much on that Mother’s Day two years ago, we especially hope that this Mother’s Day will be an incredible day of joy and happiness.
The family concluded their message by sharing they plan to continue their work through the Tristyn Bailey Foundation:
“As for us, we are inspired and strengthened by the community support. We are going to look forward by dedicating ourselves to the foundation so that Tristyn’s legacy remains in our community forever. Through the Tristyn Bailey Foundation, we have amazing plans to strengthen our community, educate children and parents, advocate for victims of crime, and provide scholarship opportunities to deserving students. We look forward to doing all of these things alongside our community. We remain forever, Tristyn Bailey Strong!”
We’re glad the family received some more justice for what happened to Tristyn. Reactions to the case update, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via First Coast News/YouTube, GoFundMe]
Related Posts
