'Hiccup Girl' convicted in felony murder case, gets life term
A young woman in Florida who became well-known in 2007 because she had unstoppable hiccups is now facing a much bigger problem.
Convicted on Friday of felony murder in the 2010 slaying of a man she apparently met on a social networking site and set up to meet two male roommates in a dark alley in St. Petersburg, Jennifer Mee, 22, was immediately sentenced to a mandatory life prison term, the Tampa Tribune reports.
Prosecutors in the Pinellas County case said Mee had arranged for the two to sell marijuana to the victim, Shannon Griffin, 22. But investigators say they instead tried to rob him, and he was shot to death as he fought back. Mee is not accused of being present at the scene, but is considered as guilty as the shooter under the state’s so-called felony murder law for acts committed by others during the commission of a crime.
The shooter, Laron Raiford, was convicted last month of first-degree murder and got life. The other man awaits trial.
The strongest evidence against Mee was her own statements, the newspaper says. She admitted to arranging a meeting between Griffin and the two male defendants in both an interview with a detective and in a recorded jailhouse phone conversation with her mother.
Fox 13 News and WFTS also have stories about her conviction.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer for ‘Hiccup Girl’ May Assert Tourette’s Defense”
People: “Jennifer Mee–Hiccup Girl–Goes on Trial for Murder”
Tampa Tribune: “‘Hiccup Girl’ co-defendant goes on trial in slaying”
