ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The Florida teen known as the "Hiccup Girl," facing a murder charge arising from an alleged botched robbery, has Tourette syndrome, her attorney says.
John Trevena told the St. Petersburg Times Monday night he hasn't determined whether TS could be employed as a defense but he says Jennifer Mee's condition is "a much more serious neurological condition than anyone really realized."
"It sounds serious," he said. "It was serious enough for her to get permanent disability benefits."
The 19-year-old is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly helping lure 22-year-old Shannon Griffin, who she met online, to a residence in St. Petersburg to be robbed by two alleged accomplices, Laron Raiford, 20, and Lamont Newton, 22.
Mee had earned international fame three years ago for her non-stop hiccupping. But since then, she started coming to the attention of police, ABC's "Good Morning America" reported.
"Over the last year, since she turned 18, we've had probably over a dozen contacts with her," police Maj. Mike Kovacsev, told ABC. "She lived a transient lifestyle, where she bounced between different apartments and different hotels. She was never a suspect in any cases, but she was a victim and a subject in several times. And a witness to several crimes."
