Aiden Fucci, the Florida teenager who stabbed 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey more than 100 times in 2021 has pleaded guilty to first degree murder, according to the 7th Judicial Circuit court clerk.
Fucci entered his guilty plea Monday at a hearing intended to get jury selection for his trial underway, CNN affiliate WJXT said.
Shortly after entering the courtroom, an attorney for Fucci, 16, told Judge R. Lee Smith they were changing their plea to guilty.
READ MORE: Survivors ‘screaming’ under rubble as Turkey earthquake kills thousands
Fucci stood before the judge and said “I’m sorry for the Bailey family and my family,” WJXT reported.
In 2021, according to the prosecutor, a witness said then 14-year-old Fucci allegedly made statements he intended to kill someone by taking them into the woods and stabbing them, CNN previously reported.
Bailey, a school cheerleader, had been reported missing on May 9 in St. Johns County, where her body was found later that day.
She suffered 114 stab wounds, including 49 defensive wounds to her head, hands and arms prosecutors said at the time.
Later that night, Fucci posted a photo on Snapchat of himself doing the peace sign from the back seat of a police patrol car.”Hey guys has inybody (sic) seen Tristyn lately,” he captioned the photo posted on Snapchat.
READ MORE: Ninth consecutive interest rate hike looms for mortgage holders
Following the guilty plea, St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick released a statement commending the hard work of his team and investigators.
“Aiden Fucci’s decision to enter a guilty plea today is nothing more than a testament to the hard work and dedication of the exceptional men and women of the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office,” the statement read. “This was an all-out agency effort.”
Hardwick thanked the Bailey family.
“The cooperation between our agency and the Bailey Family has been unparalleled. Their strength and grace throughout this case has been incredible. This agency will forever be connected to the Bailey Family,” he said.