Timothy Herrington pleads guilty in murder of Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Timothy Herrington, Jr. has pleaded guilty in the murder of former Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee.

On Monday, Herrington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Herrington was set to be retried this week for capital murder in the case.

Lee, who was 20 at the time, went missing in July of 2022. Two weeks later, Herrington was arrested as a suspect and charged with capital murder.

In his first trial, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict due to the fact that Lee’s body was still missing. The judge declared a mistrial.

In February of 2025, Lee’s body would be found in Carroll County, Mississippi.

Days later, a grand jury issued a new two-count indictment against Herrington for capital murder and evidence tampering connected to Lee’s death.

Last month, the medical examiner said Lee’s cause and manner of death couldn’t be determined because of the condition of the remains.

Prosecutors plan to ask the judge to hand down the maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars.

Supporters of Lee are hoping the judge will hand down and stiff punishment.

That sentencing will take place on Tuesday morning in Oxford.

This is a developing story.

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