OXFORD — A University of Mississippi graduate who pleaded guilty to killing fellow student Jimmie “Jay” Lee has been sentenced to serve 40 years in prison, the conclusion to a case beset by concerns that the criminal justice system would not work.

Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., the son of a prominent family from Grenada, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and evidence tampering for hiding Lee’s body in a wooded gully in Carroll County near his parents’ home. 

Lafayette County Circuit Judge Kelly Luther accepted the prosecution’s recommendation for Herrington to receive a total sentence of 40 years to serve with an additional 10 years of post-release supervision.

Lee’s family, friends, Oxford police officers and even some university officials attended the sentencing hearing Tuesday. Herrington’s parents also sat in the audience, his side of the courtroom more populated than during the first trial.

Before Luther handed down the sentence, Lee’s father, Jimmie Lee Sr., addressed the court. Stephanie Lee stood behind him. The parents have rarely spoken publicly throughout the process. Jimmie Lee Sr. said he was a “broken father” and he reminded Herrington that Lee had trusted him.

“I’m here to give a message and just let Herrington know,” the father and pastor said. “Hell will put you in order. Heaven will put you out.”

Jimmie Lee reminded him of God’s redemptive plan: “You don’t have to go to hell.”

The father said he knew from the beginning that Herrington killed his son. He prayed for healing. He said his family has been living July 8, 2022 — the day Lee went missing — since that day.

“I had to witness my son’s skeletal remains. I touched his skull,” he said. “No father should have to go through that. No parent should have to go through that.”

When Judge Luther spoke, he praised the handling of the case.

“Mississippi got it right in this case. This case was investigated more thoroughly than any other case I have dealt with in my 35 years in this criminal justice system. It was defended … as well as any case I have dealt with in my 35 years. Everybody did their job,” he said.

Herrington did not speak at the hearing. His attorney, Aafram Sellers, said Herrington did not tell him why he killed Lee. The plea was ultimately Herrington’s decision, Sellers said, adding that redemption “starts with accepting responsibility.”

“We don’t see our lives going down these paths and that is what happened,” Sellers said. “… Both families have to go through that grieving process.”

The prosecution said it had not expected a plea deal. It came Monday as the court was selecting jurors in Madison County due to a concern that it would not be possible to seat an unbiased jury from Lafayette County. 

The first trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial. Action News 5 reported that one of the 12 jurors refused to convict Herrington because of the absence of Lee’s body. 

Earlier this year, Lee’s remains were found in a dumping ground in Carroll County. Prosecutors then indicted Herrington a second time.

Lee’s disappearance sparked a movement in Oxford called “Justice for Jay Lee.” His friends held protests outside the courthouse, tailgated at football games and ran a social media page.