Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Tuesday Dec. 2 for the murder of former University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee. Lee, a member of the LGBTQ+ community went missing in July 2022 and was declared dead in 2024.
Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther made the decision after Herrington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence on Monday, Dec. 1. Herrington, also a former student at the university, was originally tried on the charges of capital murder of Jay Lee in December 2024, but Luther declared it a mistrial due to a hung jury. Jury selection for Herrington’s second trial was to begin Monday in Canton, Miss.
“Mississippi got it right in this case. This case was investigated more thoroughly than any other case I have dealt with in my 35 years in this criminal justice system. It was defended … as well as any case I have dealt with in my 35 years. Everybody did their job,” Luther said.
Luther sentenced Herrington to 30 years in prison on the murder charge and 10 years for tampering with evidence, which was for hiding Lee’s body in a wooded gully in Carroll County, according to Mississippi Today. Those sentences are to be served consecutively. Additionally, Luther sentenced Herrington to five years of supervised probation and five years of unsupervised probation.
Herrington entered the courthouse at 9:17 a.m., and the sentencing hearing started at 10:10 a.m., when Luther entered the courtroom. Both Herrington and Lee’s parents were present, as well as familial support. The hearing ended at 10:38 a.m.
During Herrington’s sentencing, Lee’s father made a statement to the courtroom and to Herrington and his family.
“This is a sad day for our family because we realized our son is not going to be here,” Lee’s father, also named Jimmie, said to the court. “We can’t call him on the phone. He can’t call us. I can’t hear his voice. Only in my memories will I hear his voice.”
A new indictment for Herrington of capital murder and tampering with evidence was prompted in February 2025 after what were believed to be Lee’s skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in rural Carroll County.
Human remains and photographs of them were sent to the state crime lab in Jackson, Miss., where an analysis and autopsy were conducted, but cause and manner of death could not be determined by the medical examiner due to the extensive decomposition of the remains.
The tampering with evidence charge was dismissed on March 7 due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, but the charge was added as part of the guilty plea deal.
