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| Jennifer Mee, center, looks at potential jurors as jury selection begins her murder trial, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013, at the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater, Fla. Mee, 22, who found fame in 2007 as a teen because of her uncontrollable hiccupping, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2010 death of Shannon Griffin. |
CLEARWATER, Fla.
(AP) -- A Florida woman who appeared on several national television
programs as a teen because of her uncontrollable hiccupping went on
trial on a murder charge on Tuesday.
After a
day of questioning dozens of people, prosecutors and attorneys for
Jennifer Mee selected a jury of 12, plus four alternates. Pinellas
County Judge Nancy Moate Ley told potential jurors that the trial would
probably wrap up by the end of the week, and opening statements are
scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Mee, who is
22, suffered from prolonged hiccups of up to 50 a minute in 2007. Videos
of her hiccupping gained her national attention, as did her attempts to
quell the problem. She tried home remedies and consulted medical
specialists, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, until the hiccups finally
stopped on their own.
She appeared on several TV shows and while on the
"Today" show, was hugged by fellow guest and country music star Keith
Urban.
Her 2010 arrest was her first.
The
22-year-old Mee is charged with first-degree murder in the death of
Shannon Griffin, a 22-year-old Wal-Mart worker. Prosecutors say Mee
lured Griffin to a St. Petersburg home under the pretense of buying
marijuana - but instead, two of Mee's friends robbed him at gunpoint.
Griffin struggled with the suspects and was shot several times.
Detectives
said Mee accepted a friend request from Griffin on a social networking
website five or six days before the robbery, but it was unclear if
Griffin had recognized her as the "hiccup girl."
Mee's
co-defendant, LaRon Raiford, was convicted and sentenced to life in
prison in August. Lamont Newton, the other co-defendant who was also
Mee's boyfriend at the time of the crime, has not yet gone to trial.
At
issue is whether Mee is a bystander or the person who planned the
robbery - prosecutors say she played an active role in planning the
robbery, which led to Griffin's death. Under Florida law, people can be
convicted of murder if they commit a serious felony crime - such as
robbery - and someone was killed as a result.
John
Trevena, Mee's attorney, said his client suffered from Tourette's
Syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause involuntary movements
and speech problems. He said that the hiccups were one symptom of
Tourette's and that he will mention that during the trial.
"It
won't be used as a direct cause for what occurred but it might help
explain her errors in judgment and her often thoughtless response to law
enforcement," said Trevena, who said that Mee did not participate in
the robbery.
He added that his client has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that he plans to explain that to the jury as well.
Trevena
said Mee has been in jail pending trial since her October 2010 arrest -
much of that time in isolation because detention deputies say she is a
high profile inmate.
Mee has experienced
periodic bouts of hiccups while in jail, said Trevena, and she is being
treated with a drug called thorazine, which treats psychotic disorders.
"It controls the hiccups," he said.
Mee
wore a teal dress and her long, dark hair loose during the first day of
the trial. She looked sadly at the potential jurors when the charge
against her was read by the judge.
Mee is not facing the death penalty. If convicted, she will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
