The murder of 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey has caused a stir in the United States. The life of the beautiful young girl was brutally stabbed 114 times two years ago by her classmate Aiden, who is now 16.
The killer, who was only 14 at the time of the 2021 crime, has now been sentenced to life imprisonment to the fullest extent of the law by a Florida court.
The court said he was spared the death penalty because he was not yet criminally responsible at the time of the crime.
“Terrible, Cruel”
Judge R. Lee Smith reasoned the verdict as “disgusting, cruel and inhumane”, a crime staged for no other reason than to feel what it was like to kill someone.
“The act was not committed out of greed. It was not retaliation or revenge. It was not a crime of passion,” Smith said at the sentencing hearing.
And further: “It was not a crime committed because he felt rejected by her. It was not committed in a fit of uncontrollable rage. It was done for no other reason than to satisfy the defendant’s inner desire for how it was to kill someone.”
Bailey’s cries of pain were most likely muffled by the blood in his lungs.
Fantasize about violence
Aiden explained at the trial that he singled out the girl in a fit of rage. According to his friends, in his youth he drew pictures of mutilated corpses and fantasized about violence and murder before the murder.
Memories of the Louise case
The murder is reminiscent of the gruesome murder of the German teenage girl Luise in mid-March, which deeply shocked Germany and Austria.
The 12-year-old was lured into a forest by 12- and 13-year-old girls from her circle of friends in her hometown of Freudenberg, killed with 75 knife wounds and then thrown off an embankment, where she bled to death.
The two girls, who would have researched whether they risk a punishment on the internet for the crime, are under 14 years old and therefore not criminally responsible. This circumstance has led to heated discussions in Germany about whether the age of consent should be lowered in the case of serious crimes. German politicians are also calling for parents of violent children to be held accountable.
The main suspect is said to have been placed in a child and adolescent psychiatric institution. The families of the two have left Freudenberg.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
