Security footage documented a University of Mississippi student leaving his apartment on two occasions the morning he was last seen alive, according to testimony provided by University Police Department Capt. Jane Mahan during the current trial of the individual charged with the student’s murder.
Jimmy “Jay” Lee, a 20-year-old openly gay man, was a prominent member of the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss and lived in Oxford, Mississippi. He was reported missing on July 8, 2022.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., a 24-year-old from Grenada, Mississippi, faces a charge of capital murder in connection with Lee’s death, and his trial commenced in Oxford on Tuesday. Herrington has consistently proclaimed his innocence.
Law enforcement officials revealed that phone records indicated communication between Herrington and Lee on the morning Lee went missing. On Wednesday, the jury viewed video footage of Lee exiting his apartment shortly after 4 a.m. clad in a robe and slippers. The footage showed him returning approximately 40 minutes later before leaving for a second time just before 6 a.m., while looking at his cellphone.
Khalid Fears, a friend of Lee, testified that he had conducted a video chat with Lee while he was leaving his apartment around the 6 a.m timeframe. During their conversation, Lee mentioned that he was returning to meet someone he had seen hours earlier, according to Fears.
Mahan elaborated on the sequences of the video during her testimony, noting that police began their search for Lee after his mother, Stephanie Lee, reached out later that day for a welfare check when he failed to respond to her messages.
Lee’s apartment was accessed via an electronic key card, and Mahan indicated that police had alerted the housing department to monitor the use of his card, which would notify them via email if it were activated.
When assistant district attorney Gwen Agho queried if Lee had returned to his apartment after his recorded departure that morning, Mahan replied, “Not that I’ve ever been notified of, no.”
Agho also revealed during her opening remarks on Tuesday that Lee and Herrington had two encounters prior to Lee’s disappearance. She mentioned that their initial meeting involved sexual activity, and Lee appeared distressed when leaving Herrington’s apartment. Herrington had invited Lee back for a second visit, and prior to Lee’s arrival, he conducted online searches regarding strangulation techniques, according to Agho. Herrington was described as not being openly part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Another witness, Kizziah Carter, testified that while returning from work at around 7:30 that morning, he spotted Herrington jogging along a road in Oxford. Recognizing him, Carter honked and then stopped to offer Herrington a ride near an apartment complex, which is where Lee’s vehicle was found later in the day. Carter reported driving Herrington back to his apartment.
Authorities also reported that surveillance captured Herrington running from the location where Lee’s car was discovered, during which he was later seen retrieving a shovel and a wheelbarrow from his parents’ home.
As of now, Lee’s body has not been recovered. In October, a court ruled him legally dead at the request of his family. Prosecutors indicated that Lee’s social media activity ceased following July 8, 2022, and there have been no recorded transactions on his credit card since that date.
Herrington was taken into custody two weeks after Lee’s disappearance but was released on a $250,000 bond five months later. He was indicted by a grand jury in March 2023.
Herrington’s attorney, Kevin Horan, argued to the jury on Tuesday that the prosecution has “zero” evidence proving that Lee was murdered or that a crime occurred.
Both Herrington and Lee are alumni of the University of Mississippi, where Lee was pursuing a master’s degree. He was celebrated for his creativity in fashion and makeup and was an active participant in drag performances in Oxford, according to a support organization named Justice for Jay Lee.
Prosecutors have informed the court that they do not plan to seek the death penalty; thus, Herrington could face a life sentence if found guilty. The laws in Mississippi classify capital murder as a homicide occurring alongside another felony, which in this situation pertains to kidnapping.
