Girl facing murder charge in death of Buckingham man

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — A 16-year-old girl who’s one of three suspects connected to the death of 58-year-old Buckingham man Ted Lee was booked into Lee County jail and is facing a murder charge, records show.

The girl, who was released on an unknown bond Saturday morning, was apprehended in Kansas earlier this week along with Jonathan Ruffini, 18, and Tyson Hunter, 23. She was originally accused of having been an accessory to Lee’s killing, but now all three face second-degree murder charges.

Ruffini and Hunter were last known to be in separate jails near Topeka awaiting extradition to Lee County. She has a court appearance scheduled for Aug. 8.

Investigators identified the girl as the common link between Lee and the other two suspects, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said this week. She lived in the same neighborhood as Lee for years, according to the sheriff’s office, and neighbors told WINK News they lived in the same house.

Lee’s body was found wrapped in carpet by a dumpster behind a Manatee County church on July 15, the day after he was reported missing from his home on Graytwig Lane.

The sheriff’s office originally identified the girl as 14 years old, but their latest information indicates that she’s 16.

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