MS v. Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr.: Missing Student Murder Trial

Posted at 8:39 AM, December 9, 2024

OXFORD, Miss. (Court TV) — A man is standing trial on charges he murdered a missing University of Mississippi student whose body has never been found.

photo of Sheldon Herrington and jimmie lee

Sheldon ‘Timothy’ Herrington (L) is charged with the murder of Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee (R). (Oxford Police Dept.)

Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. is charged with the murder of Jimmie “Jay” Lee III, who disappeared on July 8, 2022. Herrington has pleaded not guilty to the charges. An indictment reviewed by Court TV alleges that Herrington murdered Lee while engaged in kidnapping.

At the time of his disappearance, Lee was a well-known member of the LGBTQ+ community at the University of Mississippi and often took part in drag performances, The Advocate reported at the time.

In 2022, the Oxford, Mississippi, Police Department said it was working with the university’s police to investigate Lee’s disappearance and announced it had located his vehicle on July 11. The vehicle had been found with a local towing company after it was removed from the Molly Barr Trails apartment complex on July 8. According to police, Lee was last seen leaving the Campus Walk apartments at 5:58 am on July 8, wearing a silver robe or housecoat, a gold cap and gray slippers. At the time, investigators said they believed that Lee may have been visiting someone at the Molly Barr Trails when he disappeared.

At a bond hearing in Aug. 2022, prosecutors said that Herrington and the victim had known each other for about four months and had recently entered into a sexual relationship, the Oxford Eagle reported. Investigators also noted cell phone conversations between the two men on the morning of Lee’s disappearance and said that Herrington searched online for “how long it takes to strangle someone” minutes after a message from Lee saying he was en route to Herrington’s apartment.

Lee’s body has never been found, but a judge declared him dead in October following a request by his parents.

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 6 – 12/9/24

  • Det. Mike Burkes (Oxford PD) testifies about a July 11 search of Jay Lee’s black Ford Fusion, noting items like flowers, a debit card, a key ring spelling “Jay,” and the victim’s birth certificate.
  • Det. Ryan Baker testifies about Herrington’s background in Grenada, saying he comes from an affluent family. As the grandson of a bishop of a well-known church, Herrington taught Sunday school and played an instrument in his church’s band.
  • Herrington frequently used dating apps like Tinder and Grindr; however, investigators learned he was not openly gay with his family members.
  • Detective Baker reviews Timothy Herrington’s cell phone data, Google Earth images, and security cameras, which map out the defendant’s movements on July 8-9. Jay Lee’s phone was never recovered.
    • 4:36 a.m.: Jay Lee sent a graphic Snapchat message to Herrington, “Also, I nutted on your floor, so you should get that up, btw… Oh, and the nude was fake too. Ok back to block now…”
    • 5:19, 5:19, and 5:20 a.m.: Herrington makes three unanswered Facetime calls to Jay Lee.
    • 5:54 a.m.: Jay Lee agrees to return to Herrington’s apartment.
    • 5:57 a.m.: Herrington searches “strangulation.”
    • 6:03 a.m.: Jay Lee’s last Snapchat message is opened by Herrington.
    • 6:00–6:12 a.m.: Jay Lee’s phone pings near Herrington’s Lafayette Place apartment.
    • 6:49 a.m.: Herrington buys duct tape at Walmart.
    • 7:18 a.m.: Jay Lee’s car passes Rainbow Cleaners.
    • 7:34 a.m.: Herrington is seen running from Molly Barr Trails apartments.
    • 10:44 a.m.: Herrington takes a box truck to Grenada, changes into boots, and retrieves a wheelbarrow and shovel before heading to The Links in Oxford.
  • On cross-examination, Det. Baker explained how other persons of interest were cleared.
          • Khalid Fears was cleared; he was at work when the murder took place
          • Jose Reyes was a person of interest early on…the family thought he might have been Jay Lee’s boyfriend at the time, but investigators ended up determining they were just good friends and cleared him.
          • Mathis was also cleared, he was one of the last people Lee had contact with. The phone dump showed they were actively looking at “transgender porn.”
          • Baker reads Snapchat messages between Khalid Fears and Jay Lee describing sexual references to choking.

JURY VIEW – 12/8/24

  • No testimony Sunday as jurors participated in a jury view.

DAY 5 – 12/7/24

  • The judge denies the defense’s request for a mistrial.
  • Former Lt. Shane Fortner undergoes cross-examination.

DAY 4 – 12/6/24

  • Multiple witnesses who knew the Herrington family take the stand.
  • The jury sees bodycam video of police speaking with Herrington on July 22, 2022.
  • The jury is shown surveillance video tracking Herrington’s movements on July 8, 2022.

DAY 3 – 12/5/24

  • Oxford Police Det. Mark Hodges testified to surveillance video that showed Jay Lee’s vehicle arriving at the Molly Barr apartments and a man leaving the apartments shortly thereafter.
    • The vehicle could be seen to have a racing stripe on its hood and a sticker saying “I ❤️ my Pomeranian”
  • University of Mississippi Police Sgt. Ben Douglas testified that he was the detective on Jay Lee’s disappearance and described attempts to ping the victim’s phone.
    • Douglas said that officers interviewed Khalid Fears, who told them that he was on the phone with Lee the night he disappeared and that Lee said he was on his way to “hook up” with someone that he had previously blocked.
    • Douglas testified that police found text messages that Herrington sent to Lee.
    • The jury saw sexually explicit Snapchat conversations between Herrington and Lee.
    • Google searches on Herrington’s account included “how long does it take to strangle someone gabby petito”
      • Auto-correct added the name “Gabby Petito” to the end of the search
      • Herrington searched the Molly Barr apartments on the day that Lee was announced missing, but before police had found his vehicle.

DAY 2 – 12/4/24

  • Three witnesses took the stand
    • Kizziah Carter: Gave defendant a ride on the day the victim went missing
    • Capt. Jane Mahan: University Police Dept.
      • Involved in initial phases of search for Jay Lee, oversaw the university’s side of investigation
      • Testified that the victim’s car was found within her (Oxford) jurisdiction
      • Walked the court through learning of Lee’s disappearance:
        • Victim’s mom called requesting a welfare check
        • Officer dispatched to his on-campus apartment: No answer. They checked campus, hospitals, motels, towing companies, etc.
        • Met victim’s mom 2 days later, Mom said son had an internship that he’d never skip out on and that he would never have abandoned his dog
        • Eventually learned that a towing company had Jay Lee’s car, investigators confirmed it was his car
    • Mark Kaiser: Oxford Police Dept. Investigator
      • Joined the investigation 3 days after Lee was reported missing
      • Was involved in the recovery of the victim’s vehicle and reviewed surveillance footage
  • WATCH: Missing Student Murder Trial: Ole Miss Grad Accused in Student’s Murder

DAY 1 – 12/3/24

  • Both sides deliver opening statements
  • Four witnesses took the stand:
    • Stephany Lee, the mother of Jimmie Lee
    • Jennifer Buford, Lee’s professor
    • Jose Reyes & Khalid Fears, friends of Lee