'Hiccup Girl' charged with first-degree murder
Jennifer Mee 'lured' shooting victim, Florida police allege
A teenager who attracted national media
attention after she couldn't stop hiccuping for
five weeks has been charged with first-degree
murder, officials said.
Jennifer Mee, 19, appeared on NBC's TODAY
several times in 2007 because of her condition, which caused her to hiccup up to 50 times a minute.
She tried various cures without success, until
the hiccups eventually stopped. The teenager
said at the time it was not known exactly why,
but credited various different treatments given
by doctors.
In a statement released late Sunday, Sgt. T.A.
Skinner, of St. Petersburg Police, Fla., said Mee
had been arrested along with Laron Raiford,
20, and Lamont Newton, 22.
All three have been charged with first-degree
murder and, if found guilty, they could face the
death penalty under Florida law.
Skinner said victim Shannon A. Griffin was
found with "several gunshot wounds to his
upper body."
Investigators believe Griffin was the victim of
an armed robbery, he said.
"Jennifer Mee lured the victim" to the scene of
the shooting, Skinner alleged.
He added that Raiford and Newton "robbed
him (the victim) at gunpoint and took
miscellaneous items from his person."
Griffin was shot and killed during a struggle,
according to Skinner's statement.
The police officer added that the three
accused had admitted their involvement.
Mee was being held without bond early
Monday. Pinellas County jail records did not
show whether she has an attorney.
Telephone numbers listed for Mee's mother
have been disconnected.
