Man pleads responsible in homicide of University of Mississippi scholar who was distinguished in LGBTQ group

Guilty Plea in Murder of University of Mississippi Student

A man pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree murder and other charges in the killing of a University of Mississippi graduate who was prominent in the LGBTQ community. Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. entered the plea as he faced a second trial over the death of Jimmy “Jay” Lee, who disappeared from Oxford, Mississippi, in July 2022 and was later found dead.

Herrington was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished and later charged with capital murder. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, CBS affiliate WREG reported. The state has said in court that they did not intend to seek the death penalty in his case, according to the news station.

Previous Trial and Investigation

A judge declared a mistrial last year when jurors failed to reach a verdict after more than nine and a half hours of deliberation. They had been instructed to find Herrington guilty of either capital murder, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter by culpable negligence, or find him not guilty, WREG reported at the time.

Lee’s body had not yet been found when Herrington’s first trial took place, although a judge had declared him dead. But, in February of this year, deer hunters stumbled upon Lee’s skeletal remains in a wooded area, according to Mississippi Today.

During the first trial, prosecutors claimed Herrington, who was not openly gay, killed Lee after the two had a sexual encounter. Campus cameras showed Lee leaving his apartment shortly before 4 a.m. the day he disappeared. He returned 40 minutes later, before leaving again just before 6 a.m.

Prosecutors allege Lee had been at Herrington’s apartment, and that when Lee had left Herrington’s apartment he was upset. Herrington, they said, invited Lee back and searched “how long does it take to strangle someone” online before Lee arrived.

Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is on trial on a capital murder charge in the 2022 death of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, looks out into the courtroom during the lunch break, in Oxford, Miss. on Dec. 3, 2024.
Bruce Newman / AP

Victim’s Background and Community Impact

Lee had been pursuing a master’s degree. He was known for his creative expression through fashion and makeup and often performed in drag shows in Oxford, according to a support group called Justice for Jay Lee.

Herrington is set to be sentenced on Tuesday. His lawyers were not immediately available for comment.

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