Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. was sentenced to four decades behind bars Tuesday morning at the Lafayette County Courthouse following an emotional turn of events in Madison County.
On Monday, Herrington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence – a charge that had previously been dismissed – in connection to University of Mississippi student and Jackson native Jimmie “Jay” Lee’s death. A day later in Oxford, Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther sentenced the Grenada man to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Following a press conference at the Oxford Police Department held directly after the sentencing, Lafayette County District Attorney Ben Creekmore said it was the conclusion to an emotional two days.
“It was emotional because – this may just be my impression, so there’s no way to 100 percent prove it – but I think it was the very first time that I had seen Tim Herrington accept responsibility and own up to it,” Creekmore said. “I think that was authentic that he did accept responsibility and that’s important to me personally, as District Attorney, to see if you’re going to make a plea offer for someone to own up to what they have done and accept that responsibility.”
Luther sentenced Herrington to 40 years on a second-degree murder charge with 10 years suspended. Luther also sentenced Herrington to 10 years on a tampering with evidence charge. For a total of 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
“Mr. Herrington, you still have a chance at life. Mr. Lee does not,” Luther said.
Earlier this year, Herrington argued he would not receive a fair trial in Lafayette County due to media attention and requested a change of venue. Instead, the judge agreed to hold jury selection in Madison County and once selected transport them to Lafayette County where the trial would take place. They would have stayed in Lafayette County for the duration of the retrial.
A member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community, Lee disappeared in July 2022. Human remains discovered by deer hunters on Feb. 1, 2025, in a remote area of Carroll County were later confirmed to be those of Lee, according to testing by the Mississippi Crime Lab.
Lee was last seen leaving his west Oxford apartment on July 8, 2022, but his body had never been found. The investigation later extended into Grenada County. A Lafayette County judge declared the 20-year-old dead in November 2024.
Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther declared a mistrial on Dec. 11, 2024, in the Capital Murder trial of Herrington, who was on trial for eight days for the murder of Lee. A jury deliberated for approximately 9 1/2 hours before the mistrial was declared because the jury could not come to a consensus.
For more on this story, see next week’s edition of The Grenada Star.
