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.
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 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
- Carter essentially stated that the idea he may have given a killer a ride away from a time scene shook him up so much, he left Oxford, Mississippi and started a brand new life
- 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
- Kizziah Carter: Gave defendant a ride on the day the victim went missing
- 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
