A person has been sentenced to 40 years in jail after pleading accountable on Monday to second-degree homicide and different fees within the killing of a College of Mississippi graduate who was once distinguished within the LGBTQ group.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. entered the plea as he confronted a moment trial over the loss of life of Jimmy “Jay” Lee, who disappeared from Oxford, Mississippi, in July 2022 and was once later discovered lifeless.
Herrington will serve 30 years for the second-degree homicide price and 10 years for tampering with proof. His sentence additionally contains 5 years of supervised post-release and every other 5 years of unsupervised post-release.
Herrington was once arrested two weeks after Lee vanished and was once later charged with capital homicide. He had up to now pleaded no longer accountable to the homicide price, CBS associate WREG reported. The state has mentioned in courtroom that it didn’t intend to hunt the loss of life penalty in his case, in keeping with the scoop station.
A pass judgement on declared a mistrial final yr when jurors failed to succeed in a verdict after greater than 9 and a part hours of deliberation. They’d been prompt to seek out Herrington accountable of both capital homicide, first-degree homicide, second-degree homicide, or manslaughter by way of culpable negligence, or to find him no longer accountable, WREG reported on the time.
Lee’s frame had no longer but been discovered when Herrington’s first trial came about, even though a pass judgement on had declared him lifeless. However, in February of this yr, deer hunters stumbled upon Lee’s skeletal stays in a wooded house, in keeping with Mississippi These days.
All through the primary trial, prosecutors claimed Herrington, who was once no longer overtly homosexual, killed Lee after the 2 had a sexual come across.
Bruce Newman / AP 
Campus cameras confirmed Lee leaving his condo in a while earlier than 4 a.m. the day he disappeared. He returned 40 mins later, earlier than leaving once more simply earlier than 6 a.m.
Prosecutors allege Lee were at Herrington’s condo, and that once Lee left Herrington’s condo, he was once disillusioned. Herrington, they mentioned, invited Lee again and searched “how lengthy does it take to strangle any person” on-line earlier than Lee arrived.
The overall textual content message from Lee’s telephone was once despatched to a social media account belonging to Herrington at 6:03 a.m. from a place close to Herrington’s condo, legislation enforcement testified. Accounts belonging to Herrington and Lee had up to now exchanged sexually particular messages, they mentioned.
Herrington was once later captured by way of surveillance video jogging out of a car park the place Lee’s automotive was once discovered. He was once additionally noticed selecting up a shovel and wheelbarrow at his oldsters’ area, government mentioned.
Herrington is from Grenada, Mississippi, about 52 miles southwest of Oxford. Lee’s frame was once present in neighboring Carroll County.
Each Herrington and Lee had graduated from the College of Mississippi.
Lee were pursuing a grasp’s diploma. He was once recognized for his inventive expression thru model and make-up and frequently carried out in drag presentations in Oxford, in keeping with a fortify staff referred to as Justice for Jay Lee.
His attorneys weren’t in an instant to be had for remark.
