The man charged with first-degree murder in the case of a University of Mississippi student who has been missing since early July has been indicted on the same charges by a Lafayette County grand jury.

The Oxford Police Department posted a press release about the indictment on its Facebook page Wednesday morning.

The content of the News Release reads as follows:

On March 27th, 2023, the Oxford Police Department presented its case against Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 22, from Grenada, MS for the murder of Jimmy ‘Jay’ Lee. After a day and a half of testimony, the Grand Jury indicted Herrington on the charge of Capital Murder.

We would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney’s Office for their hard work during this investigation. This is still an ongoing investigation. We have not stopped looking for the location of Jimmy ‘Jay’ Lee. If you have any information, please contact the Oxford Police Department at 662-232-2400 or CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8477.

Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with the Lee family, and we thank them for their constant support.

Herrington was served this morning by the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department on the aforementioned indictment of Capital Murder.

Herrington is still under his previous bond set by Third Circuit Judicial District Court. Trial dates and proceedings will be set at a later date.

 

Herrington Jr. faces a murder charge for the suspected killing of Lee, whose body has yet to be found after his July 8 disappearance. Lee was well-known in the LGBTQ community of the town of Oxford, and his disappearance sparked fear among students and residents.

Herrington was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished. Lee was last seen at an apartment complex in Oxford. In August, Judge Grady F. Tollison III initially denied bond for Herrington.

Herrington has maintained his innocence since being charged.

Police say they viewed social media conversations on Herrington’s phone that showed conversations between him and Lee on the morning of July 8. They added that Herrington did numerous computer searches about international travel, and they found Google searches for “how long it takes to strangle someone” minutes after Lee reportedly told Herrington he was on his way to the apartment.