Lawyer for ‘Hiccup Girl’ May Assert Tourette’s Defense
A lawyer representing a Florida teen once famous for unstoppable hiccups says her Tourette’s Syndrome may be cited as a defense against a charge of murder.
Jennifer Mee, 19, is accused of luring a man to a meeting where he was robbed and killed, the Associated Press reports. In 2007 she achieved national fame for unstoppable hiccups that lasted about six weeks.
Mee’s lawyer, John Trevena, said Tourette’s can cause hiccups, and Mee still has them once in a while. He didn’t get into specifics about how the condition might have affected Mee’s behavior, the story says.
Mee’s family has revealed that her medicine caused hallucinations and thoughts of suicide, and Mee has the mental ability of a 13 year old, the Tampa Tribune reports. She has been in a psychiatric hospital and suffered domestic abuse, allegedly at the hands of her former boyfriend.
Mee is accused of accepting a friend request from the victim, Shannon Griffin, five or six days before the crime. She is accused of luring Griffin to an area of St. Petersburg where two accomplices planned to rob him. Griffin was shot when he put up a struggle, police say.
