Man accused of killing Ole Miss student Jay Lee was at scene of Lee’s missing car, investigator says

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Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., the man accused of killing Ole Miss student Jimmie Jay Lee, was seen leaving the apartment complex where Lee’s vehicle was recovered following Lee’s disappearance, an investigator testified Wednesday inside the Lafayette County Courthouse.

Lee, a 20-year-old University of Mississippi student remembered as a beloved member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community, went missing in July 2022. Two weeks after Lee’s disappearance, authorities arrested Herrington., who was later indicted on a capital murder charge in connection to the case. Herrington was a 22-year-old Ole Miss graduate from Grenada at the time of the alleged offense. Herrington allegedly murdered Lee to conceal a romantic relationship between the two.

Lee’s disappearance garnered widespread attention as people joined in the search for him. In October, a judge declared Lee legally dead, but the whereabouts of Lee’s body is still unknown. Lee’s vehicle was found at an apartment complex.

Herrington’s indictment states the maximum penalty possible is life in prison or the death penalty; however, Lafayette County District Attorney Ben Creekmore told the Clarion Ledger the state is not seeking the death penalty. Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Gwen Agho was appointed as a special prosecutor to assist in this case.

Herrington’s defense attorney is Mark Horan.

University Police Department Capt. Jane Mahan, who originally help lead the search for Lee, also took the stand Wednesday testifying that a “Be on the Lookout” notification was issued around 1 p.m. July 9, 2022, for Lee and Lee’s vehicle.

Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who is on trial for the murder of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, looks out into the courtroom during the lunch break, in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Bruce Newman, Pool)

Catch up on Day 2 of trial: Witness testifies to interacting with accused murderer on day Jay Lee disappeared at Ole Miss

According to Mahan, officers were later contacted by a tow truck driver with Bandit Towing. Mahan said the tow truck driver saw the BOLO notification and notified authorities about him towing Lee’s vehicle from behind Molly Barr Trails Apartments — roughly 10 minutes away from Lee’s apartment. Mahan testified the tow truck driver stated the car was towed around 1:50 p.m. on July 8 from that location. Molly Barr Trails is in the Oxford Police Department’s jurisdiction, so they became the lead investigating agency on the case.

Oxford Police Department Lt. Mark Hodges testified that once officers were made aware that Lee’s car was found at the Molly Barr apartments, they began “working backwards” to track the vehicle’s movements.

Video and still images were shown to the jury of Lee’s car traveling by various locations before driving onto Molly Barr Road.

Footage from Molly Barr Trails Apartments showed Herrington jogging out of the apartment complex, Hodges testified.

Prosecutors said Herrington left the car at the complex before he went for a “jog.”

Day 2 in murder trial of Jay Lee: Witness testifies to interacting with accused murderer on day Jimmie Jay Lee disappeared at Ole Miss

That is until witness Kizziah Carter testified to picking Herrington up the day Lee was reported missing. Carter told jurors he left his job the morning of July 8, 2022, and was driving down Molly Barr Road around 7:30 a.m. when he saw Herrington jogging down the road.

Carter said he always took the same route from work to the apartment he shared with his girlfriend. Carter said people did jog along the Molly Barr Road, but he had never seen Herrington jog in the area before.

Carter said Herrington flagged him down and asked for a ride home to Lafayette Place Apartments. Carter said when he later learned authorities believed Herrington killed Lee shortly before he gave Herrington a ride, he became distraught.

Day 1, Lee’s mother testifies in court: Mom of missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee takes the stand in trial. See what she said

“The incident made me leave here (Oxford) and go back home to Tunica and start over,” Carter said.

A jury was seated for the trial on Monday. Opening arguments and the first witnesses in the case were called on Tuesday. Police recalled early days of searching for Lee on Wednesday. Hodges’ testimony resumed today.

NBC New York was declared the pool videographer which made the stream available to local TV stations.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jay Lee trial. Updates on Shelton Timothy Herrington movement

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