The Mississippi man who pleaded guilty to murdering a fellow student at the University of Mississippi to conceal their romantic relationship was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison.
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 25, pleaded guilty Monday to murdering Jimmie “Jay” Lee in Oxford in 2022.
Lee disappeared on July 8, 2022, from the university’s campus in Oxford. Herrington was arrested a few weeks later and charged with murder.
But in Herrington’s first trial last year, one juror refused to convict him of capital murder because Lee’s body was never found, according to authorities. The judge declared a mistrial in the case.
Then in February 2025, deer hunters stumbled upon Lee’s skeletal remains in a wooded area of Carroll County. Herrington was again indicted for Lee’s murder, and he cut a surprise plea deal on Monday, admitting to one count of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Lee left Herrington’s apartment around 4 a.m. on the day he disappeared, then returned around 6 a.m. and was never seen again, investigators said. In those two hours, Herrington searched “how long does it take to strangle someone,” according to police.
Lee’s body was eventually located about 35 minutes south of Grenada, where Herrington’s parents live. Herrington was seen picking up a wheelbarrow and shovel from his parents’ residence, cops said.
According to prosecutors, Herrington killed Lee, a prominent member of the school’s LGBTQ+ community, because he didn’t want anyone to find out about their relationship.
“If he had felt that same love and acceptance that Jay’s family provided to him, maybe we wouldn’t be here today,” assistant prosecutor Gwen Agho said.
Herrington was sentenced to 30 years for murder and 10 years for tampering, plus 10 years of probation after he completes his sentence.
With News Wire Services
