Man sentenced to 40 years for murder of University of Mississippi student Jay Lee

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A man who admitted to murdering a University of Mississippi graduate student received a prison sentence totaling 50 years, with 10 years suspended, on Tuesday. Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 25, entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder and evidence tampering in the death of Jimmie Jay Lee, a young man active in the LGBTQ+ community.

Herrington, an Ole Miss graduate, pleaded guilty at the start of his second trial on Monday. Initially charged with capital murder, prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 40 years for the murder, with 10 years suspended, meaning he will serve 30 years. An additional 10-year sentence was handed down for tampering, to be served consecutively, totaling 40 years in prison. Following his release, Herrington will undergo 10 years of supervision.

Lee, 20, vanished in July 2022 from Oxford, where the university is located. Herrington was arrested two weeks later. A prior trial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict following over nine hours of deliberation. At that time, Lees body had not been recovered, although a judge had officially declared him deceased. In February 2023, hunters discovered Lees skeletal remains in a wooded area, according to local reports.

During the first trial, prosecutors suggested Herrington, who was not openly gay, killed Lee after a sexual encounter. Authorities stated that Herrington wanted to conceal their relationship. Campus security footage captured Lee leaving his apartment shortly before 4 a.m. on the day he disappeared, returning about 40 minutes later, and then leaving again just before 6 a.m. Prosecutors allege that Lee had visited Herringtons apartment, left upset, and then returned after Herrington had researched strangulation online.

The final message from Lees phone was sent to Herringtons social media account at 6:03 a.m., near Herringtons residence. Investigators noted previous sexually explicit exchanges between the two men. Surveillance footage later showed Herrington jogging from the location where Lees car was found and retrieving a shovel and wheelbarrow from his parents home.

Herrington hails from Grenada, Mississippi, approximately 52 miles southwest of Oxford. Lees remains were located in nearby Carroll County. Lee, who had been pursuing a masters degree, was recognized for his creativity in fashion and makeup and often performed in drag shows in Oxford, according to the advocacy group Justice for Jay Lee.

Author: Sophia Brooks