JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to killing a University of Mississippi graduate student was sentenced Tuesday to a total of 50 years in prison with 10 years suspended.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering in the death of Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a prominent member of the LGBTQ+ community. Herrington, 25, entered a plea Monday at the start of his second trial.
Herrington was initially charged with capital murder, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to second-degree murder.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 10 years suspended for second-degree murder, meaning he would serve 30 years. He was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison for tampering with information. The sentence will run for a total of 40 consecutive years, and he will undergo 10 years of post-prison supervision.
Herrington’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Li, 20, disappeared in July 2022 from Oxford University, where the university is located.
Herrington, also a University of Mississippi graduate, 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 more than 9 1/2 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.
At a news conference after the sentencing, prosecutors said Herrington killed Lee to keep their relationship secret.
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.
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.
