TikTok: Murder Gone Viral on ITV focuses on the 'heart-wrenching' and 'brutal' murder of Tristyn Bailey by fellow teen
The teenager had been stabbed 114 times in a frenzied attack
TikTok: Murder Gone Viral series 2 continues with the heartbreaking and brutal murder of teenager Tristyn Bailey.
Episode 2 of the hard-hitting ITV true crime focuses on the 13-year-old schoolgirl, whose case went viral on Tiktok after her mother reported her missing in May 2021.
Millions of social media users were shocked to hear the teenager had been stabbed 114 times in a frenzied attack by 14-year-old Aiden Fucci who knew her from school.
Here’s everything you need to know about the murder of Tristyn Bailey, her killer, and what happened next.
TikTok: Murder Gone Viral – The Killing of Tristyn Bailey
The second series of this award-winning true crime brand reexamines three compelling murder cases. Each of which went viral on the global social media app TikTok.
While the first episode focused on Charlie Cosser, this week’s second instalment centres on murdered teen Tristyn Bailey. The third and final episode next week will shine a light on the devastating murder of transgender girl Brianna Ghey.
The murder of Tristyn Bailey shocked the idyllic community of St. Johns County, Florida. It quickly became one of the most infamous criminal cases in recent years.
Tristyn Bailey was just 13 when her mother reported her missing in May 2021. Her disappearance and subsequent death went “viral” on Tiktok. Millions of social media users were shocked and appalled to hear the teenager had been stabbed 114 times in a frenzied attack.
Her killer? Aiden Fucci, then 14, who knew her from school.
Who was Tristyn Bailey?
Tristyn Tyne Bailey was born in Singapore on January 18, 2008, the youngest of Forrest and Stacy Bailey’s five children. In addition to Tristyn, Forrest and Stacy have daughters Sophia, Alexis, Britney, and son Teegan.
Having spent her first four years in Singapore, the family subsequently moved to the US. She grew up and lived in the affluent area of St. Johns County, Florida, and attended Patriot Oaks Academy. It was known as a nice area, and crime was reasonably rare.
Tristyn Bailey has been described as “a typical 13-year-old girl” who was “extremely close to her family”. Like many mid-school teenagers, she enjoyed posting on TikTok, loved hanging out with her friends and was a talented cheerleader. She had good friends, and got good grades.
Family and friends describe her as “an energetic young girl who always stood up for her friends”. Her mother said: “She was just a powerful child that was able to give a lot to so many.”
But all that would change when she went missing on the morning of May 09, 2021, which tragically happened to be Mother’s Day. That day, her parents woke up, realised she was missing, and called the police at 10am.
After a frantic search for her, police found surveillance footage which showed her walking through her neighbourhood in the early hours with a fellow student, 14-year-old Aiden Fucci. That was where Tristyn’s nightmare began and ended.
What happened to her?
Later that day, on Mother’s Day 2021, a runner discovered Tristyn’s body in a wooded area near a pond. She had been brutally stabbed 114 times, and many of the wounds were defensive injuries.
In fact, there were 49 defensive wounds to her head, hands and arms. Her body was found with the word “karma” written on the inside of her left ankle, and a smiley face drawn on her right ankle.
Aiden Fucci, who was 14 at the time, was the last person to see Tristyn alive. He quickly became the prime suspect in her murder. A residential surveillance camera recorded the teenagers walking together on Saddlestone Drive at 1:45am. Tristyn was wearing a white cheerleading skirt and dark shirt.
Footage later showed the young male running alone in the opposite direction with his shoes in hand.
Further evidence showed that Aiden Fucci has asked his friend Doffis Absher for Tristyn Bailey’s phone number. He called her and convinced her to leave home to visit him as he was suspended from school. Tristyn “snuck out” to see the boy “who she liked”. However, while at Doffis Absher’s house, Tristyn also met Aiden.
Minutes later, she was fighting for her life. News reports called her death “heart-wrenching”, and “brutal”.
What happened on the night of her death?
Aiden Fucci’s friend Doffis Absher revealed that the murderer and his victim had been at his house and subsequently left together – something that Fucci later confirmed.
Fucci initially claimed to have walked with Bailey along North Durbin Parkway until she turned onto Cloisterbane Drive to go home. He later changed his story when the facts didn’t add up. Instead, he said that he and Bailey got into an altercation after she attempted to touch his private parts. He claimed to have pushed her away, which caused her to fall and hit her head.
After the interrogation, Fucci took images and videos in the back seat of a patrol car. He went on to publish the imagery on the social media app Snapchat. In one picture, he captioned an image: “Hey guys has anybody seen Tristyn lately?”
Who killed Tristyn Bailey?
Investigators swiftly focused on Fucci, not least when forensic evidence linked him to the killing. Items recovered from his home included bloodstained clothing in his room and bathroom sink. Meanwhile, a knife with a fragment of the tip missing was found in a pond. It matched the injuries inflicted on Tristyn.
The missing knife-tip was found during an autopsy embedded in the victim’s scalp.
What stood out during the investigation was not only the shocking brutality of the act, but also Fucci’s disturbing behaviour in its aftermath. His behaviour caused a TikTok true crime commentator to call him “garbage”.
In the hours following Tristyn’s disappearance, Fucci used social media, particularly Snapchat, to post a disturbing video of himself in the back of a police car. The post referenced Tristyn’s absence in a “flippant manner”, which prosecutors later used in court as evidence of his state of mind.
Police initially arrested Aiden Fucci on the charge of second-degree murder. This changed to first-degree premeditated murder on May 27. He maintained his innocence at the time, despite the mountain of evidence against him, and “showed no remorse”.
Who was Tristyn Bailey’s murderer Aiden Fucci?
Aiden Fucci was a pupil at Patriot Oaks Academy, where Tristyn also attended. However, whereas Tristyn was well liked and studious, Aiden was the type of boy who displayed “concerning” behaviour.
He was known to be “a heavy cannabis smoker”, according to his friends. The documentary says Aiden had a “bad reputation”. He “had anger issues” and “got into physical fights with people”.
Disturbingly, the schoolboy “loved knives” and named each one. He always carried one. Aiden also had a obsession with death, violence, and fantasised about killing someone. At the time, “nobody took him seriously”.
How did Tristyn Bailey know Aiden Fucci?
Tristyn and Aiden knew each other from school, and had one class together. But they didn’t know each other very well. They had “minor conversations”, but not very many.
Tragically, Tristyn was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aiden dreamt about killing someone, and decided the young cheerleader would be his victim.
Why did Aiden Fucci murder Tristyn Bailey?
During a press conference on May 27, 2021, State Attorney RJ Larizza revealed Aiden Fucci’s chilling statement to his friends.
He told them he was going to kill someone by “taking them to the woods and stabbing them”. He also told his friends to “expect [the murder] to happen within the month”, and that “killing was imminent”.
A police report released by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in July 2021 revealed that Fucci frequently spoke of his “fantasy” of killing people. He often carried a knife with him, and planned to “drag a random person into the woods and stab them”. He also sought out footage of “beheadings” and “real violence” online.
Fucci’s ex-girlfriend Zofie Bauman said that, on occasion, Fucci “would take his knife out and pretend to stab [her] with it”.
Zofie Bauman also said that Fucci claimed to hear voices in his head when he was angry. These voices told him that he was “worthless” and a “disappointment.”
A report released by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in July 2021 revealed that Fucci had “dark fantasies”. He told friends that he fantasised about killing and mutilation: “He said he wanted to slit someone’s throat. He said it’d be satisfying.”
Tristyn’s dad Forrest stated: “He just wanted to kill someone for the sake of killing someone. With no regard for human life.”
Did Aiden Fucci plead guilty to murdering Tristyn Bailey?
Initially Aiden Fucci pleaded not guilty to murdering his school mate Tristyn Bailey. However, he subsequently changed his plea. In February 2023, he admitted to first-degree murder. This was seen as “the first step in trying to get a reduced sentence”.
Fucci stood before Judge R. Lee Smith and said: “I’m sorry for the Bailey family and my family.” He also wrote a letter apologising for the pain he’d caused Tristyn Bailey’s family and friends. He wrote: “I’m sorry that you didn’t get to know her that long. You did not have any long relationship with Tristyn and for that I’m sorry.”
During the initial hearing, which Fucci attended via Zoom, he began “acting erratically”. He “rocked back-and-forth in his chair”, and mumbled about “demons taking my soul away”. However, he’d had “extremely coherent conversations with his mother” just before and after his appearance.
A psychologist decided the talk of demons was “faked”.
As he waited for his trial, he was held in solitary confinement for over 400 days at Duval County Jail. An “incident report” released by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office showed that Aiden Fucci had a lengthy history of disciplinary issues during his time at Duval County Jail. Problems included extorting inmates for their commissary items by “using fear”, threatening to kill inmates and correctional officers, and fighting an inmate.
The report also stated that Fucci was restrained using pepper spray at least twice and had to be put in a restraint chair once. During a report from October 2022, it said that Fucci had been “relentless” in making threats against two inmates, one claimed Fucci said he was going to “stab them up and take pictures of it”.
‘There was no reason’
During the trial, Tristyn Bailey’s family members, friends and members of her cheerleading team gave emotional impact statements. Her mother, Stacy, said: “Please do not for one second think [Fucci] could be rehabilitated at any point. He is beyond saving.”
She also spoke directly to her daughter’s killer, saying: “Aiden Fucci, you have destroyed me, you have destroyed my family.”
During the sentencing, Judge R. Lee Smith called it the most “difficult and shocking case” he had ever presided over.
He said: “This was not done out of greed. It was not done in retaliation, 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.”
Why was he charged as an adult?
Aiden Fucci was 14 when he was charged with first-degree murder. He was detained in the juvenile wing of the Duval County Jail. At the time, debate raged about what should happen when a child kills another child.
Outraged members of the public began a petition to get him charged as an adult. The State of Attorney’s Office received calls from around the country – and the world – demanding he be charged as adult.
If teenager Aiden had been tried as a juvenile in the State of Florida, the maximum sentence he would have received would have been seven years. That would have seen him released at the age of 21.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dutton explained: “That would not have been appropriate.”
The State Attorney decided that Aiden’s case “belonged” in the adult system. He was subsequently charged as an adult with premeditated charges.
Where is Tristyn Bailey’s murderer Aiden Fucci now?
The judge sentenced Aiden Fucci to life in prison, with parole eligibility after 25 years due to his age at the time of the crime. After 25 years in jail, when he’s 41 years old, he will be entitled to apply for a case review hearing.
The teenager was ineligible for the death penalty as he was a juvenile when he committed the crime. At the time (March 24, 2023), Aiden Fucci was 16. He is now 18.
He is currently serving his sentence at Cross City Correctional Institution. It is a state prison for men located in Cross City, Dixie County, Florida.
Earlier this year, Fucci appealed his sentence, but this was rejected.
Tristyn’s sister Britney said that the long jail sentence “didn’t bring her sister back”.
Who are Aiden Fucci’s parents?
Aiden Fucci’s mother, Crystal Smith, was arrested for tampering with evidence. Home security showed her washing blood off her son’s jeans on June 4, 2021. In May 2023, she pleaded “no contest” and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, community service, and five years of probation.
Meanwhile, Aiden’s dad Jason submitted a letter to the judge before his son’s sentencing. He expressed “sorrow for the pain caused to the victim’s family, the Baileys”.
During legal proceedings, both Jason Fucci and Aiden’s mother, Crystal Smith, were granted indigent status. This qualified them for a public defender for their son.
From jail, convicted teen killer Aiden Fucci grumbled that he missed his mum’s cooking, specifically her “lemon pepper chicken”.
In the missive to the judge, published by firstcoastnews.com, Aiden Fucci said he was losing good memories. He said: “Mom now I miss your lemon pepper chicken. I miss your hugs. I miss you. The longer I’m in here, the more I forget, the more memories I lose. I’ll never forget you love me.”
Aiden Fucci’s father dad found guilty of the child abuse charges
Aiden’s father had also been in trouble with the law.
It was reported that in January 2003, Jason was accused of child abuse, injury, and neglect. That same year, in October, he was also arrested for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl at his home.
In 2004, he was found guilty of the child abuse charges and sentenced to one year and two months in prison. Jason was also found guilty of engaging in sexual activity, but was only sentenced to two years of probation.
In 2016, Police arrested Jason again for battery following a fight at a gas station with a couple while his son was present.
Tristyn Bailey’s murder sparked an ‘enormous wave of public reaction’
On TikTok, Tristyn’s murder sparked an “enormous wave of public reaction”. Thousands of users posted videos expressing grief, outrage, and solidarity with her family.
The platform became a space where young people, many of whom were close in age to Tristyn, collectively processed the tragedy and their grief.
Memorial videos featuring her photos, cheerleading clips, and messages tagged with hashtags such as #JusticeForTristyn circulated widely. At the same time, TikTok also became a forum for amateur detectives, with users analysing timelines, Fucci’s heartless Snapchat posts, police interviews and news reports.
The case continues to resonate not only for its tragic loss of such a young life, but also as a stark example of how social media intersects with criminal justice.
What kind of memorial was set up for Tristyn?
The Bailey family started a charity in Tristyn’s name, The Tristyn Bailey Memorial Foundation, to educate young women in self-defence. The charity promotes victim advocacy and holds educational talks in schools.
The Tristyn Bailey Memorial Foundation also helped enact a law in the state of Florida that restricts the disclosure of crime scene photographs of any minor who has been murdered in the state.
Talking in the ITV documentary TikTok: Murder Gone Viral, Tristyn’s mum Stacy says: “It’s an indescribable feeling when your child is missing. There’s nothing you can do. Pure panic.”
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