Special to Darkhorse Press
Written By Pam Dankins
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., the man accused of murdering University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, entered a guilty plea Monday, Dec. 1, in Madison County during the day of jury selection.
Herrington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection to Lee’s death.
Herrington is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Dec. 2 in Oxford.
Herrington’s Jackson-based attorney Aafram Y. Sellers told reporters there were “issues” on both of the parties ends that were resolved. Herrington’s mother could be seen leaving the courthouse with tissue in her hand and rubbing her eyes. Sellers said he would give a statement after the sentencing.
Lafayette County District Attorney Ben Creekmore told reporters Herrington entered the plea Monday after the defense prompted a plea negotiation. Creekmore said he is relieved that the family doesn’t have to relive the trauma surrounding the death of Lee.
Jury selection started around 9 a.m. Monday. Shortly before 10 a.m., approximately 550 individuals were reportedly summoned, and about 145 people were seated as potential jurors.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther began introducing himself. He then said that serving on a jury is a privilege because in other countries around the world, justice belongs to those who have money or power.
“All around the world, there are people who would love to sit in your chair today,” Luther said. “I like to think of this not as jury duty but as jury right.”
After five people were excused by the judge, there were 140 prospective jurors left with 10-to-15% being people of color. Lee was Black.
Around noon, the remaining potential jurors were excused after Herrington’s plea was entered.
Lee, a 20-year-old beloved member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community and a Jackson native, disappeared on July 8, 2022. His mother reported Lee’s absence to local authorities. Lee disappeared on his mother’s birthday.
A few weeks after Lee’s disappearance, Herrington was arrested and charged with killing Lee, allegedly to conceal a romantic relationship between the two. Herrington was a 22-year-old Ole Miss graduate from Grenada at the time of the alleged offense.
Herrington was tried for capital murder in December 2024. That trial ended in a mistrial. After a new indictment in the case was returned against Herrington, a second trial was set for 2025.
The whereabouts of Lee’s body were previously unknown at that time, with a judge previously declaring Lee legally dead in October 2024 — a couple of months before Herrington’s first trial in December 2024.
On Feb. 1, 2025, human remains found by deer hunters off a dirt road and down by a gully in Carroll County were confirmed by the Mississippi Crime Lab to belong to Lee. A new indictment was then returned to try Herrington again.
Lee’s remains were found about 90 minutes south of Oxford and about 35 minutes south of Grenada. It was revealed in the first trial that Herrington’s family lives in Grenada.
Last week, Herrington’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss his case saying the district attorney’s office violated Herrington’s right to a fair trial. After a hearing, that motion was dismissed by the judge.
Herrington initially maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty. His plea was changed Monday.