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Security cameras captured video of a University of Mississippi student leaving his campus apartment twice on the morning he was last seen alive, University Police Department Capt. Jane Mahan testified Wednesday in the trial of the man accused of killing the student. Jimmy “Jay” Lee, 20, was a gay man well known in the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss and in Oxford , where the university is located. He was last seen on July 8, 2022. Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., 24, of Grenada, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder in Lee's death, and his trial began Tuesday in Oxford. Herrington has maintained his innocence. Police said cellphone history showed conversations between Herrington and Lee on the morning Lee disappeared. Jurors on Wednesday were shown video clips of Lee leaving his own apartment shortly after 4 a.m., wearing a robe and slippers. The clips showed him returning about 40 minutes later and leaving again just before 6 a.m. When he left the last time, he was looking at his cellphone. A friend of Lee, Khalid Fears, testified Tuesday that he had a video chat with Lee while Lee left the apartment around 6 a.m. that day. Lee said he was going back to see a man he had seen hours earlier, Fears testified. Mahan testified Wednesday about the timeline of the video clips showing Lee at the campus apartment. She said campus police started searching for Lee after his mother, Stephanie Lee, called later that day to request a welfare check on her son after he didn't respond to multiple messages. Jay Lee's apartment had an electronic key card, and Mahan testified that police contacted the campus housing department to put an alert on his card, which would automatically send police an email if the card were used. An assistant district attorney, Gwen Agho, asked Mahan if Lee ever returned to his apartment after he was recorded leaving that morning. “Not that I've ever been notified of, no,” Mahan said. Lee and Herrington saw each other twice during the hours before Lee disappeared, Agho said during opening arguments Tuesday. She said the men had sexual contact during their first meeting, and Lee was upset when he left Herrington’s apartment. Herrington invited Lee back — and before Lee arrived, Herrington searched online for how long it takes to strangle someone, Agho said. Herrington “was not openly in the LGBTQ community,” she said. A witness, Kizziah Carter, testified Wednesday that he was driving home from work at about 7:30 that morning and saw Herrington jogging along a road in Oxford. Carter said he knew Herrington and honked to greet him, and Carter flagged him down to ask for a ride. The road was near an apartment complex where Lee's car was found later in the day. Carter said he drove Herrington to Herrington's apartment in another complex. Surveillance video also recorded Herrington running from where Lee’s car was found, and he was later seen picking up a shovel and wheelbarrow at his parents’ house, authorities said. Lee’s body has not been found. In October, a judge declared him dead at the request of Lee’s parents. Lee’s active presence on social media fell silent after July 8, 2022, and no transactions have appeared on his credit card since then, prosecutors said. Herrington was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished, then released five months later on a $250,000 bond. A grand jury indicted him in March 2023. Herrington’s attorney, Kevin Horan, told jurors Tuesday that prosecutors have “zero” proof that Lee was killed or that any crime happened. Both Herrington and Lee had graduated from the University of Mississippi. Lee was pursuing a master’s degree. He was known for his creative expression through fashion and makeup and often performed in drag shows in Oxford, according to a support group called Justice for Jay Lee. Prosecutors have announced they do not intend to pursue the death penalty, meaning Herrington could get a life sentence if convicted. Mississippi law defines capital murder as a killing committed along with another felony — in this case, kidnapping.
MIAMI — Lionel Messi, fresh off accepting his MLS MVP trophy, kicked off the holiday season by traveling 6,870 miles to Azerbaijan this week and brought along teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba for a private charity event in the capital city of Baku. Azerbaijan is a landlocked country in Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, Iran, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey. Messi and his friends attended a gathering on Wednesday at the Crystal Hall, a famous music and sports venue. The event included a concert featuring French singer Willy William and Romanian group Morandi. The Argentine legend received a personalized rug with an image of himself lifting the World Cup trophy. “I have discovered the culture and the people of Azerbaijan,” Messi said. “Thank you for the warm greeting. Thank you very much for the support.” Messi, Suárez, Busquets and Alba also paid a visit and laid flowers at the tomb of former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, on the eve of the 21st anniversary of his death Dec. 12, 2003. That part of the visit drew some criticism on social media from opponents of Aliyev’s regime. Inter Miami vs. Club America in Las Vegas? Speaking of travel, Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said last week that the club is not planning another four-country, seven-game globetrotting preseason tour, as it did last year. The team played in El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan in early 2024 and wound up dealing with injuries to a few players and a controversy when Messi sustained an injury and was unable to play in Hong Kong. Mas said the team does plan a trip abroad in early 2025, but it will be a more compact itinerary, and that a high-profile game was being planned in the United States. Deporte Total USA reported that Inter Miami will play Mexican power Club America in Las Vegas and that the game is tentatively set for Jan. 18. An MLS source confirmed that Inter Miami and Club America are in talks about a game, but details had not been finalized. Also, the club announced it will play a friendly match against Orlando City in Tampa on Feb. 14. CJ Dos Santos traded to San Diego FC Inter Miami traded backup goalkeeper CJ dos Santos to expansion club San Diego FC in exchange for $100,000 in 2025 general allocation money (GAM). Dos Santos, 24, signed for Inter Miami ahead of the 2022 MLS season. He made three appearances for the first team — two in MLS and one in the Leagues Cup, in which he kept a clean sheet against Mexican side Club Puebla in 2024 — and 28 matches for Inter Miami II in MLS NEXT Pro. New ‘Fortitude’ jersey unveiled Inter Miami on Thursday released its new “Fortitude” away jersey for the 2025 season. It has black and granite-gray blocks with the trademark pink trim. The club explained in a press release that the name came from the Latin word “Fortis,” which means strength, and the Spanish word “Fortaleza,” which stands for resilience and determination. This shirt also serves as a tribute to Fort Lauderdale, “a city that has become a fortress for Inter Miami CF and the stage for some of the Club’s most significant milestones”. This coming season will be the team’s final season in Fort Lauderdale before moving to Miami Freedom Park in 2026. The new kits are on sale at the team store at Chase Stadium beginning Thursday (Dec. 12), while supplies last. It is also available online at MLSstore.com and adidas.com . Royal Caribbean, the club’s official jersey partner, will soon have the jersey available for purchase on its ships. ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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