After seven days of testimony, both sides rested their cases in the capital murder trial of former Ole Miss student Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., charged with the alleged murder of fellow student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, as reported by Action News 5. Authorities charged Herrington after Lee went missing on July 8, 2022, and was later declared legally dead in October.
Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen testified that Herrington's narrative changed multiple times during an interview, leading OPD to suspect a murder case strongly, Local Memphis reports. The relationship between Lee and Herrington had been sexual, a detail that became clear through messages presented during trial sessions. Notably, the morning Lee disappeared, intense messages appeared to show an argument, and Herrington attempted to lure Lee back with the promise of sexual favors.
According to trial testimony, which highlighted a trail of digital evidence, Herrington searched online, "How long does it take to strangle someone?" just moments before Lee purportedly agreed to return to Herrington's apartment. Lee's car keys and phone have not been found, and no traces of his DNA were detected in Herrington's apartment or the moving truck Herrington was seen driving, as detailed by Action News 5.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution attempted to showcase elements of Herrington's lifestyle, including purchases of duct tape and use of a moving truck, as possible tools for the crime, per a FOX13 Memphis report. Herrington, who declined to testify himself, had his father and grandfather take the stand. Both testified they were unaware of Herrington's sexual preferences, with his father acknowledging that he only became aware of his son's sexual interest in men through ongoing proceedings.
Lee, an active member of the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss, was known for his creativity in fashion and makeup. Herrington's attorney Kevin Horan contended there is "zero" evidence that Lee was killed. Despite Herrington's maintained innocence, the prosecution has declined to seek the death penalty, meaning life in prison awaits if he is convicted. Closing arguments are set to begin in what has indeed proven to be a trial where digital footprints and personal narratives have collided in the search for truth over Lee's disappearance, as reported by Local Memphis.
