ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy accused in a teenage girl’s slaying is facing a charge of evidence tampering, authorities say.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a news release that Crystal Lane Smith, 35, was arrested Saturday morning in St. John’s County. She was later released on $25,000 bail.
It was not immediately clear if she has an attorney to speak for her.
An arrest warrant claims that Smith scrubbed a pair of jeans belonging to her son, Aiden Fucci. He is being tried as an adult on a murder charge in the death of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey, whose body was found May 9 in a wooded area.
She had been stabbed 114 times.
The arrest warrant says a surveillance camera inside the home recorded Smith washing her son’s jeans, which later tested positive for blood. Traces of blood were also found in a sink drain.
Evidence tampering is a third-degree felony in Florida.
“Tampering with evidence is tampering with justice and cannot be excused or tolerated,” Larizza said.
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.
