CLEARWATER — The “Hiccup Girl” will be allowed to tell her story to the media before her first-degree murder trial next week, despite concerns the coverage could make it tougher to seat an impartial jury, a judge ruled this afternoon.
Pinellas County Circuit Judge Nancy Moate Ley ruled that Jennifer Mee could give interviews ahead of her upcoming trial, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday. The judge temporarily blocked planned interviews with local and national media outlets this week after prosecutors raised concerns that the pretrial publicity would negatively impact jury selection.
Now, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the Pinellas County Jail, where Mee is being held, will have to decide whether it can accommodate interviews this weekend. Otherwise, they likely would happen on Monday, the day before when jury selection is scheduled to begin in Mee’s trial.
Source: TBO
