The Florida teen who fatally stabbed a 13-year-old cheerleader 114 times was sentenced to life in prison. Aiden Fucci, 16, pleaded guilty to murdering Tristyn Bailey in 2021 when he was 14. While Fucci was tried as an adult, he was not eligible for the death penalty because he is a juvenile.

Judge R. Lee Smith spoke for nearly 20 minutes, explaining in detail why he sentenced Fucci to life behind bars.

"He indicated he was going to kill someone. At which point he determined it was going to be Tristyn Bailey, I don't know," Smith said, according to WJXT. "But there was going to be a victim."

Smith said what concerned him most was that the crime had no motive.

"This was not done out of greed. It was not done in retaliation or retribution, or revenge. It was not a crime of passion. It was not a crime that was committed because he felt rejected by her. It was not done in a fit of uncontrollable anger. There was no reason. There was no purpose. It was done for no other reason than to satisfy this defendant's internal desire to feel what it was like to kill someone," Smith explained to the court. "This leads this court to the conclusion that there is only one appropriate sentence in this case."

Fucci's sentence will be eligible for review by a judge in 25 years.

Leland Conway