A 25-year-old man will spend decades behind bars after admitting he killed a fellow University of Mississippi student in 2022. The verdict brings closure to a case that shocked the campus and wider community after investigators said the crime was linked to a concealed romantic relationship.
Hidden Relationship and Murder Charges
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. pleaded guilty in late 2025 to second-degree murder and evidence tampering in the death of 20-year-old Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a beloved student and active member of the LGBTQ community at the University of Mississippi. The judge sentenced Herrington to a total of 40 years in state prison, with portions of the sentence suspended and post-release supervision added.
Prosecutors told the court that Lee vanished from Oxford in July 2022, and that Herrington was responsible for his death. They argued that Herrington, who was not openly gay, killed Lee to prevent their intimate relationship from becoming public. The plea agreement reduced his original capital murder charge to second-degree murder.
Discovery of Remains and Emotional Sentencing
Lee’s disappearance prompted a lengthy investigation, and his skeletal remains were ultimately found by hunters in a rural area of Carroll County months later. The coroner was unable to determine an exact cause of death due to the condition of the remains when they were recovered.
At sentencing, Lee’s family spoke about the devastating loss and the impact of the crime. Lee’s father described the pain of not knowing what happened to his son for years and urged for changes that could help future missing persons investigations.
