Mom Of Teen Accused Of Killing Cheerleader Arrested On Evidence Tampering Charge

An image depicting a person in handcuffs.

The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy accused of killing a 13-year-old girl last month has been arrested and charged with tampering with evidence in the case against her son.

Aiden Fucci is accused of fatally stabbing Tristyn Bailey, who was a cheerleader at her Florida school, on May 9 and then dumping her body in a wooded area of St. Johns. He pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of first-degree murder.

Crystal Smith, the mother of Fucci, turned herself in to the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office Saturday after she was accused of tampering with evidence when she washed the blue jeans he wore when he allegedly killed Bailey, First Coast News reported. She was booked into jail and released less than two hours later on a $25,000 bond.

Surveillance footage in Fucci's home showed the mother going into her son’s room and retrieving a pair of jeans after the boy was taken to the sheriff's office, according to an arrest report. Smith was seen scrubbing the jeans in the bathroom sink before taking them to her master bedroom "for a period of time," the report stated.

Smith was then seen in the video returning the jeans to Fucci's bedroom around half an hour later after "inspecting the jeans several times" with an unnamed witness, according to the police report.

Police later confiscated the jeans from Fucci's bedroom, and the clothing item and a drain in a bathroom at the home both tested positive for blood, the report said.

“I remain incredibly proud of the men and women of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office for their continued thoroughness in this investigation,” St. John’s County Sheriff Robert Hardwick said in a statement. “Crystal Smith will be held responsible for her role in this case and justice will be served for Tristyn Bailey and her family.”

Fucci was initially charged with second-degree murder as a juvenile in connection with the death of Bailey. But given the severity of the case, a grand jury indicted him on May 27 for first-degree premeditated murder, and he will be tried as an adult. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Florida State Attorney RJ Larizza previously said at a press conference that it was a sad but easy decision. He said Bailey had been stabbed 114 times, with at least 49 stab wounds to her hands, arms and head that were “defensive in nature.”

Larizza stated that her DNA was found on the blade discovered in a pond near where her body had been dumped, as well as on the shoes and a T-shirt found in Fucci’s bedroom. His DNA was allegedly found on her body.

Larizza also said that prior to Bailey's death, the 14-year-old boy allegedly had been telling friends that he planned to kill someone in the woods.

Fucci is currently being held without bond at a Duval County jail in Florida, where he is being kept separate from other inmates. He is scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing on July 28.