He was initially charged with second-degree murder but did not have time to enter a plea before his charges were upgraded to first-degree, premeditated murder.
The teen’s case was moved from juvenile to adult court, State Attorney R. J. Larizza said during a press conference Thursday, May 27.
Larizza explained the decision was made to charge him as an adult given the brutality of the case.
Bailey was reported missing to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on May 9. Her family said she was last seen around midnight. A search was launched and at 6 p.m. her body was discovered in the immediate area near a retention pond, according to the arrest report.
Fucci was identified as a suspect in the case and was arrested, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 11 news release
“It brings me no pleasure to be charging a 14-year-old as an adult with first degree murder. It was clear to us after we look at what happened that it was not only appropriate to charge the defendant as an adult, but it was really the only charge we could make,” Larizza said Thursday, May 27.
Larizza offered new grisly details about Bailey’s murder, noting there were 114 stab wounds found on her, citing the medical examiner report, and at least 49 of those wounds were to the hands, arms and head that were defensive in nature.
