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Sheldon 'Timothy' Herrington Sentenced to 40 Years After Plea in Jay Lee Murder

Prosecutors said he killed Lee to prevent exposure of a secret relationship.

Overview

  • Herrington, 25, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and evidence tampering in the 2022 killing of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee.
  • A judge on Tuesday ordered 30 years for murder and 10 years for tampering, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
  • After a hung jury last year, a retrial was set to begin with jurors to be selected in Madison County and sequestered in Lafayette County due to media attention.
  • Lee’s skeletal remains were discovered in rural Carroll County in February 2025, and the state medical examiner could not determine a cause of death.
  • Investigators cited Snapchat messages, incriminating internet searches, surveillance video, purchases of duct tape and tools, K-9 alerts in Herrington’s apartment, and prosecutors said he acted to conceal the relationship.