The man accused of killing Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee is back in the custody of law enforcement amid a new charge levied against him.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington turned himself in to Oxford police on Tuesday to be arraigned on the charge of tampering with evidence in connection with Lee’s now-confirmed death. He is also charged with capital murder in the case.
The latest charge comes less than a week after human remains found by hunters in Carroll County were reported by the State Crime Lab to belong to Lee, a beloved figure in Oxford’s LGBTQ+ community who had been missing since July 2022.
Per the Oxford Police Department, a bond hearing regarding both charges will be held on Friday, Feb. 21.
Earlier today, Timothy Herrington Jr., 22, of Grenada, MS turned himself in to law enforcement today to be arraigned on the charge of Tampering with Physical Evidence (MS Code § 97-9-125(1)(a) in relation to the body of Jimmie “Jay” Lee being located and positively identified… pic.twitter.com/IgNi0k7oIO
— Oxford Police Dept (@OxfordPolice) February 11, 2025
Authorities in Oxford arrested Herrington two weeks after Lee’s disappearance. Herrington, a Grenada native, was accused of killing Lee to conceal a romantic relationship the two were having. The alleged killer stood trial on a capital murder charge with State Rep. Kevin Horan serving as his lead legal counsel last year.
During court proceedings in Lafayette County this past December, it was discovered that Herrington had used Google on his computer to search, “How long does it take to strangle someone gabby petito [sic]” – referring to the high-profile case of a New York 22-year-old killed by her fiancé in 2021 – just moments after Lee told Herrington he was coming over on the last day Lee was seen by anyone other than Herrington.
Additionally, after Lee’s disappearance, video surveillance at the Oxford Walmart showed Herrington looking at large trash cans but only purchasing duct tape. Herrington later traveled to Grenada, operating a box truck that was said to be used for his moving business, and acquired a shovel, wheelbarrow, and lap pads.
Ultimately, a mistrial was declared in Herrington’s case as the jury could not reach a consensus agreement as to whether to convict Herrington of capital murder, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, culpable negligence manslaughter, or find him not guilty. Despite the 11-1 vote favoring a conviction, the lone dissenter spurred a final decision, leaving Circuit Judge Kelly Luther to reach out to prosecutors and defense attorneys about setting a date for a retrial.
One of the dissenting juror’s holdbacks in committing to convict Herrington of the crime was the lack of the victim’s body. Now that Lee’s body was found — in a neighboring county to Herrington’s childhood home — a new trial will pose new challenges and now a new charge to the defense, which has consistently maintained the suspect’s innocence.
“We will continue to work tirelessly on this case to see it to the end,” Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCucthen said.
Officials have not yet set a retrial date.
