Sheldon Timothy Herrington, Jr., the man accused of killing former Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, has been granted a venue change ahead of his upcoming retrial.
Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther approved a motion on Monday for Herrington’s retrial to be held in a different courthouse. The move follows a late-May request by the defendant’s attorney, Aafram Sellers, to have court proceedings moved away from Oxford out of fear that Herrington would not receive a fair trial.
Extensive media coverage of Herrington’s case and social media posts were the primary reasons for the desire to move the trial.
Herrington is charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Lee, a prominent figure in the Oxford LGBTQ+ community. The defendant is accused of killing the victim in 2022 to cover up a romantic relationship the two were having. A mistrial was declared in December after the jury failed to reach a consensus on whether to charge Herrington with capital murder, first-degree or second-degree murder, culpable negligence manslaughter, or find him not guilty.
An 11-1 vote favored conviction, but the lone dissenting vote required new proceedings. Ahead of the retrial, the state has made it clear that it is not pursuing the death penalty in Herrington’s case.
The primary reason for the mistrial was the lack of a body connected to the crime. Lee had been missing since the summer of 2022, and his body was still undiscovered during the initial trial against Herrington. In February, during an extended deer hunting season, outdoorsmen in Carroll County found human remains that were later proven to be Lee’s.
Herrington turned himself in to law enforcement after the discovery and has been denied bond since then. At this time, no new venue has been announced for Herrington’s retrial, which begins Oct. 13.
