Aiden Fucci’s dad Jason was jailed for child abuse years before his son ‘stabbed classmate Tristyn Bailey to death’
THE father of teen murder suspect Aiden Fucci was jailed for child abuse years before his son allegedly stabbed classmate Tristyn Bailey to death, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Jason Fucci appeared via Zoom for his son’s hearing this week, along with Aiden’s mother, Crystal Smith, during which their 14-year-old son seemed relaxed and sat with his hands behind his head.
He is charged with murdering 13-year-old classmate Tristyn, whose body was found in woodland. Police allege he stabbed her a “horrific” amount of times.
Fucci was arrested on Sunday evening and is being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Aiden and Tristyn both attended Patriot Oaks Academy in St. Johns, Florida.
Now, The Sun can reveal Fucci’s father Jason, 36, has an extensive rap sheet, including a stint in jail after being charged with lewd or lascivious battery and child abuse in 2003.
Filings obtained from Duval County Court for the first count show Fucci Sr., who was 18 at the time, was guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old female at his home.
The second count showed he “did knowingly or wilfully abuse a child by intentionally committing an act that could reasonably be expected to result in physical or mental injury to a person under the age of 18 years.”
Fucci Sr. was sentenced to two years probation but was later jailed for 14 months after violating the conditions, with 158 days given as credit.
His rap sheet also includes a number of other run-ins with the law, with charges for theft and driving with a suspended license.
He was also booked in 2016 for battery, after cops claimed he got into a fight at a gas station with a couple while his son was present, although it is not known if this was young Aiden.
According to documents obtained by The Sun, he was sentenced to six months probation, which was terminated early, and ordered to attend anger management classes.
The Sun reached out to Jason Fucci and family for comment, but have yet to receive a response.
He was last listed as a manager at Fucci’s Full Package, LLC, a landscaping company based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fucci’s son Aiden has been arrested and charged with second-degree murdern after law enforcement reportedly found blood on his clothes following the discovery of Tristyn’s body.
An arrest report, obtained by First Coast News, alleged that security footage showed the two teens walking at 1.45am, and less than two hours later, at 3.27am, only one person was seen walking — holding a pair of shoes.
While executing a search warrant at Fucci’s home, the report said officers found items that tested positive for the presence of blood.
The 14-year-old’s statement changed a number of times and officers said he made several “admissions.”
The St Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced that the cause of death was “sharp force trauma by stabbing” on Tuesday.
“This is a cold-blooded murder of a 13-year-old young girl who did not deserve to die,” County Sheriff Rob Hardwick told News4Jax.
“That being said, I don’t want to mention the number of times [she was stabbed], but it is horrific.
“It’s horrible, and the word accident is nowhere involved in this case.”
Fucci appeared in court before Judge Richard Orfinger, wearing a dark-colored sweater, at a detention center in Volusia County.
“I do find that there is probable cause to believe the offense occurred and at this time I am going to order that Mr Fucci be detained by the department of juvenile justice in secure detention for 21 days or until further order of the court,” the judge determined.
The teenager appeared to hold back tears as his detention terms were read out, before rolling his eyes when his parents were told they will have to pay $5 per day while he remains in the center.
Fucci allegedly posted a Snapchat photograph of himself in the back of a squad car holding up a peace sign asking where Tristyn was, which has left family and friends disgusted.
The Sun can confirm it is now being probed by police as part of their investigation.
On Tuesday, before Fucci’s court appearance, Sheriff Robert Hardwick told WOKV that the image shows he is “proud of what he did.”
“I know it looks egregious with him making those statements in that car, but that is now evidence that we gather and use against him,” he said.
“So that just makes our case a better case to present to the State Attorney’s office and to present to a jury down the road saying this was his mindset.
“This is what he’s doing, he’s proud of what he did. So, you know, this is going to help our case and make it stronger to, you know, his intentions.”
Tristyn’s cousin, Connie Stull, previously told The Sun that she hopes Aiden confesses.
Asked if she hopes he comes clean, she replied: “Yes I do. I have cried my eyes out.
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“I looked him [Aiden] up on Facebook, but there are too many. I’m happy they made an arrest and hope they try him as an adult.
“Tristyn was a sweetheart, she loved cheerleading, I’m an emotional wreck, my husband and I didn’t sleep well last night.”