JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man accused of killing a University of Mississippi graduate who was a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and tampering charges as he faces a second trial.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. pleaded guilty in the death of Jimmie “Jay” Lee, who disappeared in July 2022 in Oxford, home to Oxford University. Herrington was arrested two weeks later and eventually charged with murder.
Last year, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict after nine and a half hours of deliberations. At the time of the trial, Lee’s body had not yet been found, but the judge had pronounced him dead.
According to “Mississippi Today”, in February this year, a deer hunter accidentally discovered Lee’s bones in a woods.
During the first trial, prosecutors claimed that Herrington, who was not openly gay, killed Lee after the two had a sexual encounter.
Campus cameras showed Lee leaving his apartment shortly around 4 a.m. on the day he disappeared. He returned 40 minutes later and left again just before 6 a.m.
Prosecutors said Lee was at Herrington’s apartment and that he became upset when Lee left Herrington’s apartment. They said Herrington invited Lee back and searched online for “how long does it take to strangle someone” before Lee arrived.
Law enforcement testified that the last text message on Lee’s phone was sent to one of Herrington’s social media accounts at 6:03 a.m. from a location near Herrington’s apartment. They said sexually explicit messages had previously been exchanged between Herrington’s and Lee’s accounts.
Herrington was later captured on surveillance video jogging out of the parking lot where Lee’s car was found. He was also seen picking up a shovel and a wheelbarrow at his parents’ home, 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.
Herrington and Lee both graduated from the University of Mississippi.
Li has been studying for a master’s degree. He is known for his creative expression through fashion and makeup and regularly performs in drag shows in Oxford, according to a support group called Justice for Jay Lee.
Herrington is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.
His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
