Over a year after 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey was found dead, her accused killer made a court appearance to hear his charges last month. She was stabbed to death, and the student suspected of killing her, Adam Fucci, 14 appeared in court last month.

Bailey’s body was discovered in St Johns County, Florida, reportedly about half a mile from Fucci’s home. They lived in the same neighborhood, and police say that his DNA was found on the victim’s body.

Fucci has had one private attorney and later had to be granted public attorneys when it was determined he can’t afford to pay his own lawyer. A second public defender apparently just took his case on from his original, though she noted that she has been involved with the case since the beginning.

While Fucci’s attorney hasn’t requested a mental competency evaluation, court records revealed that his girlfriend told investigators that he said he heard voices telling him to kill people. It’s also claimed that he had a notebook displaying violent drawings.

The teen’s mother, Crystal Smith, was hit with charges of her own of tampering with evidence and made a brief appearance in court. She is being accused of washing the blood from her son’s jeans after he was taken to a police station for questioning.

Bailey’s family members have been appearing consistently at most of Fucci’s court dates. The group is easily recognizable as they wear Tristyn’s favorite color, aqua, every time they show up.

Fucci will be tried as an adult for the murder of Bailey. He has pleaded not guilty and will next appear in court for a pretrial hearing on June 7. It’s likely that Smith’s trial will not start in earnest until Fucci’s is complete. His trial is expected to last for two weeks between November 7 and 18.

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Jacob Linden

Article by Jacob Linden

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