Mother of suspect in fatal Florida stabbing faces evidence-tampering charge

The mother of a boy accused of stabbing a 13-year-old classmate 114 times was arrested Saturday on charges of evidence tampering in the case, the St. John’S County Sheriff’s Office said.

Crystal Smith, 35, of St. John’s, mother of Aiden Fucci, was arrested about noon Saturday and released about 90 minutes later in lieu of $25,000 bond. She was charged with evidence destroying, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Surveillance video in Fucci’s home shows Smith retrieving a pair of her son’s blue jeans, scrubbing them, and then returning the pants to his bedroom, according to an arrest warrant. The jeans and a drain in a bathroom tested positive for blood.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said, “Crystal Smith will be held responsible for her role in this case and justice will be served for Tristyn Bailey and her family.”

Aiden Fucci, 14, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the case. According to an arrest report, video surveillance showed him and Bailey, both students at Patriot Oaks Academy near Jacksonville, walking along a road at 1:45 a.m. on the day she disappeared May 9. The same video showed Fucci walking alone about an hour and 45 minutes later.

Fucci has pleaded not guilty to Bailey’s slaying and is being held without bail. The knife believed used in the killing was found in a pond near the crime scene.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.