ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The defense lawyer for Aiden Fucci, the now-15-year-old charged with first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, is asking the judge to bar the media and the public from all future pretrial proceedings , saying the teen’s right to a fair trial is at stake, according to News 6 partners News4JAX.
The motion filed Thursday reads, “Due in part to the ages of the children involved, this case is subject to unprecedented prejudicial publicity and extensive media attention across the four counties,” referring to counties in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam and Volusia.
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The court document also says the media coverage and public social media engagement on the case are “ubiquitous and unending.”
It points to “extensive coverage” by the media of every court proceeding, however minor or inconsistent.
The motion says Bailey’s immediate family would still be allowed in the courtroom.
Fucci’s lawyer also promises she’ll file a change of venue motion, telling the judge that he can’t get a fair trial in the Seventh Judicial Circuit or even in any of the four adjacent judicial districts. Those circuits include Jacksonville and Gainesville.
Reganel Reeves, an attorney not affiliated with this case, says finding jurors who don’t know about the case will be rare.
“The defense attorneys are seeking to get the most impartial jurors as possible,” Reeves said. “That’s why for this case, they want to limit the information that the jurors would see before being selected.”
Fucci will be in court on Aug. 31. He is scheduled to go to trial