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Man Sentenced to Serve 40 Years in Prison for Killing University of Mississippi Student
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. has been sentenced to serve a total of 50 years in prison with 10 years suspended on Tuesday, December 2 after he pleaded guilty to killing University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee.
Herrington, 25, was originally charged with capital murder. However, prosecutors agreed to reduce his charge to second-degree murder, according to ABC News.
He was sentenced to 40 years with 10 years suspended, which means that he will serve 30 years for second-degree murder. Additionally, Herrington received another 10 years in prison for tampering.
The sentences will run consecutively, meaning Herrington will serve a total of 40 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 10 years of post-release supervision.
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Following the sentencing, Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther shared a direct message with Herrington. “Mr. Herrington, you still have a chance at life. Mr. Lee does not,” Luther said, per the Clarion Ledger. “I would encourage you to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Lee, who was 20 years old at the time, disappeared from Oxford, Mississippi in July 2022. Herrington was arrested two weeks later. He was later charged with capital murder for the crime.
The case previously went to trial in 2024, though a judge declared a mistrial when the jurors failed to reach a verdict after nearly ten hours of deliberation. Lee’s body had not been found at the time the first trial took place. However,a judge declared that Lee was dead.
Lee’s skeletal remains were later found by deer hunters in a wooded area in February, per The Associated Press.
Prosecutors claimed during the first trial that Lee and Herrington, who was not openly gay, had a sexual encounter, which led to the victim’s death. Following the sentencing, prosecutors indicated during a press conference that Herrington killed Lee in order to keep their relationship a secret.
Campus cameras showed Lee leaving his apartment around 4 a.m. on the day he disappeared, according to ABC News. He returned 40 minutes later, though he left for a second time just before 6 a.m.
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During the trial, prosecutors claimed that Lee had been at Herrington’s apartment and was upset when he left the first time. They then said that Herrington invited Lee back and searched “how long does it take to strangle someone” online before Lee got to his apartment.
Additionally, it was revealed in court that Lee and Herrington exchanged sexually explicit messages.
On the day of Lee’s death, surveillance video captured Herrington jogging out of a parking lot where Lee’s car was found. Authorities also said that he picked up a shovel and wheelbarrow at his parents’ house.
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