Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., 24, of Grenada, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in the death of Jimmy “Jay” Lee, a 20-year-old University of Mississippi student who vanished on July 8, 2022. Investigators claim that Lee’s phone records and social media accounts show interactions between Lee and Herrington before his disappearance.
According to testimony, the two men had a relationship and exchanged sexually explicit messages via Snapchat just hours before Lee went missing. The messages were discovered through search warrants and include a message from Herrington saying “Come back” at 5:25 a.m., followed by Lee’s response saying he was on the way over at 5:54 a.m.
Google records also revealed that Herrington had searched for information on how long it takes to strangle someone at 5:56 a.m. on the day of Lee’s disappearance. Surveillance footage captured a car matching Lee’s description driving through Oxford and eventually being towed from an apartment complex where a jogger, later identified as Herrington, was seen running out.
Herrington maintains his innocence, but prosecutors have announced they will not pursue the death penalty, leaving him eligible for a life sentence if convicted. The trial is ongoing.
Source: https://www.mississippifreepress.org/come-back-snapchat-messages-reveal-exchange-between-jay-lee-and-herrington-before-disappearance-police-say