JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to killing a University of Mississippi graduate student was sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison with 10 years suspended on Tuesday.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering in the death of Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a gay man who was prominent in the LGBTQ+ community. Herrington, 25, entered the plea on Monday at the beginning of his second trial.
Herrington was originally charged with capital murder, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to second-degree murder.
He was sentenced to 40 years with 10 years suspended, meaning he will serve 30 years, for second-degree murder. He received another 10 years for tampering. The sentences will run consecutively for 40 years total, and he will he will be subject to 10 years of post-release supervision.
Herrington’s lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
Lee, 20, disappeared from Oxford, where the university is located, in July 2022.
Herrington, also an Ole Miss graduate, was arrested two weeks later and eventually charged with capital murder.
A judge declared a mistrial last year when jurors failed to reach a verdict after more than 9 1/2 hours of deliberation. At the time of the trial, Lee’s body had not been found, but a judge had declared him dead.
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.
During a press conference after the sentencing, prosecutors indicated Herrington killed Lee to keep their relationship secret.
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.
The final text message from Lee’s phone was sent to a social media account belonging to Herrington at 6:03 a.m. from a spot near Herrington’s apartment, law enforcement testified. Accounts belonging to Herrington and Lee had previously exchanged sexually explicit messages, they said.
Herrington was later captured by surveillance video jogging out of a parking lot where Lee’s car was found. He was also seen picking up a shovel and wheelbarrow at his parents’ house, authorities said.
Herrington is from Grenada, Mississippi, about 52 miles (83.7 kilometers) southwest of Oxford. Lee’s body was found in neighboring Carroll County.
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.
