Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. Allegedly Killed a Young Man to Keep Their Relationship a Secret

In December 2024, the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported that the jury in the capital murder trial of Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. could not reach a unanimous verdict. "I think after nine-and-a-half hours of deliberation and by my reading of the jury, we are hopelessly deadlocked," said Judge Kelly Luther, who declared a mistrial in the disappearance and death of Ole Miss student Jimmie "Jay" Lee.

Lee, a 20-year-old University of Mississippi student, was reported missing on July 8, 2022. Three months later, a judge declared Lee legally dead. At the time, Lee's body still hadn't been found. That changed in February 2025 when hunters stumbled upon Lee's skeletal remains down by a gully in Carroll County, per the Clarion Ledger. Herrington had already been indicted a second time. Where is he now, and what happened to Lee? Here's what we know.

Following his second indictment, Herrington Jr. pled guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. On Dec. 2, 2025, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, per ABC24 Memphis. He is serving his time at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Following his sentence, Herrington will serve 10 years of post-release supervision, including five years of supervised probation and five years of unsupervised probation.

After handing down Herrington Jr.'s sentence, Judge Luther said the court is "acutely aware that the nation has been watching this case from the get-go." He continued, "The state of Mississippi does not have a good reputation in matters concerning this, quite frankly." The judge is referring to the fact that Lee was an openly gay man who was a proud member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community. Many believe Lee's death was a hate crime.

Judge Kelly went on to say that Lee lived a "lifestyle that was different from most people in Mississippi." Because of that, he assumed that a lot of people in the country had doubts about justice being served. "I want the world to know that Mississippi got it right this time."

Herrington Jr. never revealed a motive behind the killing. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors argued Herrington Jr. murdered Lee because the two were in a sexual relationship. While Lee was openly gay, Herrington Jr. was not. "All of this happened to cover something up, and everyone found out anyways,” said Gwen Agho, the deputy chief assistant district attorney at the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office."

Carroll County Coroner Mark Stiles responded to the scene where Lee's body was found, per Mississippi Today. He said the cause and manner of Lee's death could not be determined due to decomposition of the body. Lee's remains were discovered nearly three years after he disappeared.

"We’ve got the body there, and we’ve got first-hand accounts of usually witnesses," said Stiles. "But in this case, we didn’t have anything. It was just the remains that were found." While there were some missing bones, Stiles said they could have been taken by animals. There was no evidence of blunt or sharp force trauma, or firearm injuries as the cause of death. Unless Herrington provides more information, the exact nature of Lee's death will remain a mystery.