A man will spend decades behind bars for the killing of an openly gay University of Mississippi student—an act prosecutors said was driven by an effort to conceal a romantic relationship between the two.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., 25, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Dec. 2, 2025, after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of 20-year-old Jimmie “Jay” Lee, according to the Associated Press, CBS News, and The Clarion-Ledger.
Lee, who was well known in Ole Miss’ LGBTQ+ community, disappeared on July 8, 2022. Herrington was later charged with capital murder. Prosecutors said investigators uncovered sexually explicit messages between the two, along with a search on Herrington’s device asking “how long it takes to strangle someone,” the AP reported. At the time, prosecutors alleged Lee was killed after a sexual encounter.
Officials also said Lee’s final text message appeared to have been sent to Herrington from near Herrington’s apartment in Oxford, Mississippi. Lee’s car was later found abandoned in a parking lot, where security footage showed him leaving that morning, police said, per the AP. A judge later declared Lee dead in absentia.
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Herrington denied the allegations and went to trial on the capital murder charge, but the case ended in a mistrial in December 2024 when jurors could not reach a verdict. Herrington’s attorney argued the state could not secure a conviction without a body, The Clarion-Ledger reported.
The investigation shifted in February 2025, when Lee’s decomposed remains were discovered in Carroll County—about 90 minutes from Lee’s home, according to The Clarion-Ledger. Because of the condition of the remains, the county coroner said a cause of death could not be determined, WREG reported.
Herrington was indicted again and was set to face a retrial on charges of capital murder and tampering with evidence. He continued to maintain his innocence before ultimately pleading guilty last year. His attorney, Aafram Sellers, said Herrington did not explain why he killed Lee, per The Clarion-Ledger.
Prosecutors believed the motive was secrecy—arguing Herrington killed Lee to keep their relationship private. Sellers added that he did not believe it was in Lee’s “character” to have outed Herrington, per the outlet.
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At sentencing, Lee’s father confronted Herrington and spoke about the lasting pain the family has faced.
“I knew from the beginning that you did this, and I believe your family knew,” Jimmie Lee Sr. said, per WLBT. “I had to witness my son’s skeletal remains. I touched his skull; no father should have to go through that. No family should have to go through that.”
He added, “Only in my memories will I hear his voice. This is a sad day for our family because we realize our son is not going to be here.”
Special prosecutor Gwen Agho called the killing a tragedy, the AP reported.
“All of this happened to cover something up,” Agho said. “And everyone found out anyways.”
