
Police became convinced they were investigating a crime in the disappearance of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee when they interviewed the man now on trial in his death, a top officer testified Tuesday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Police became convinced they were investigating a crime in the disappearance of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee when they interviewed the man now on trial in his death, a top officer testified Tuesday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Police became convinced they were investigating a crime in the disappearance of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee when they interviewed the man now on trial in his death, a top officer testified Tuesday. Lee had been missing for two weeks when officers arrested Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. on July 22, 2022, said Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen. Authorities interviewed Herington twice that day, and he gave conflicting information about the hours before Lee vanished, the chief said. “From the moment that we gave Tim Herrington the opportunity to tell the truth and he couldn’t and he lied and we backed that up, we knew then,” McCutchen said. Herrington, 24, is being tried on a capital murder charge in the death of Lee, 20, a gay man who was well known in the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss and in Oxford. Lee disappeared in Oxford, where Herrington’s trial is in its second week. Prosecutors and the defense both called their final witnesses Tuesday, and Herrington did not testify. Closing arguments are set for Wednesday. Lee’s body has never been found, but a judge has declared him dead. Herrington maintains his innocence and his attorney, Kevin Horan, told jurors last week that prosecutors have “zero” proof Lee was killed. Lee has not contacted friends or family, and his financial transactions and once-prolific social media posts have stopped since the day he went missing, investigators testified. Before officers interviewed Herrington, they had already obtained sexually explicit text messages exchanged between social media accounts belonging to Herrington and Lee in the early hours of July 8, 2022, when Herrington disappeared in Oxford, McCutchen said. Lee communicated with his mother daily, and sent his last message to her hours before he vanished to wish her happy birthday, according to earlier testimony. Google records obtained through a warrant showed that Herrington searched “how long does it take to strangle someone” at 5:56 a.m., University Police Department Sgt. Benjamin Douglas testified last week. The final text message from Lee’s phone was sent to a social media account belonging to Herrington at 6:03 a.m. from a spot near Herrington’s apartment, and cellphone tower in another part of Oxford last located any signal from Lee’s phone at 7:28 a.m., McCutchen said Tuesday. A security camera showed Herrington jogging at about 7:30 a.m. out of a parking lot where Lee’s car was abandoned, investigators testified earlier. “We’ve been looking for Jay Lee’s body for two years, and we’re not going to stop ’til we find it,” McCutchen said in court Tuesday. On the day Lee vanished, Herrington was also seen on security cameras buying duct tape in Oxford and driving to his own hometown of about an hour away, police have testified. Herrington is from an affluent family in Grenada, Mississippi, about 52 miles (83.7 kilometers) southwest of Oxford, testified Ryan Baker, an Oxford Police Department intelligence officer who was a detective when he helped investigated the case. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Herrington’s grandfather is bishop of a church in Grenada, other family members work at the church and Herrington himself taught youth Sunday school classes there, Baker said. Herrington “was not portraying himself as gay” to family or friends, Baker said. During testimony Tuesday, Herrington’s father and grandfather both said Herrington had never spoken about having boyfriends. Herrington operated a furniture moving business with another man while they were students at the University of Mississippi, and they had a white box truck that Herrington drove to Grenada, Baker said. Security cameras at several businesses and a neighbor’s house showed Herrington and the truck in Grenada hours after Lee disappeared, Baker said. During McCutchen’s testimony Tuesday, Horan asked whether DNA tests on items taken from Herrington’s apartment and the truck showed “any trace evidence at all implicating my client.” McCutchen said they did not, but police first searched Herrington’s apartment two weeks after Lee vanished and they searched the box truck a few days after the apartment. 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. Advertisement Advertisement
, /PRNewswire/ -- Underscoring its commitment to revolutionize investment strategies by leveraging advanced technologies to drive investor value, real estate investment firm AWH Partners announces the promotion of Devashish (Dev) Sharma to director of analytics. Sharma, who has been with the -based firm since , has played a pivotal role in enhancing returns for investors by strengthening the integration of technology and data analytics in his previous role in asset management. In this new position, he will leverage the firm's data assets to create insights that sharpen acquisition strategies, improve asset performance, and strengthen overall decision-making and corporate governance, ultimately driving superior outcomes for stakeholders. In leading this newly created role, Sharma will focus on enhancing AWH Partners' cross-functional data ecosystem and optimizing technology-enabled processes to deliver actionable investment insights, streamline analysis, automate recurring tasks, and identify market opportunities ahead of industry trends. By developing business intelligence tools and mechanisms, he will ensure the firm's leadership and continuity in hospitality real estate, delivering enhanced transparency and scalability of tech-driven initiatives to foster sustainable growth and maximize investor returns. With dual master's degrees in business administration and hospitality management from , Sharma has 13 years' experience across investment banking, real estate financing, hotel acquisition and hotel asset management. Before relocating to the U.S. for his graduate studies, Sharma was the investment manager at SAMHI Hotels, which specializes in hotel investments in , and an associate investment manager at Piramal Fund Management, one of the first firms to enter real estate fund management in . His global expertise in real estate financing and operational excellence has directly contributed to the success of the firm's high-value investment portfolios. "Dev brings a truly exceptional background to this new role with his experience in real estate financing and data analytics, as well as earning advanced degrees in business and hospitality from one of this country's premier universities. Since joining AWH, he has demonstrated dedication and passion for helping the firm realize the next level of data-driven decision-making," said , co-founder and managing partner of AWH Partners. "His work has strengthened our ability to deliver consistent value to our investors, helping us stand out in an increasingly competitive market." AWH Partners has made substantial investments in technology to identify and acquire differentiated investment opportunities in a highly competitive marketplace. This position underscores the firm's strategic focus on combining innovation and expertise to generate superior investor outcomes. By empowering its team with leadership opportunities, AWH Partners fosters an environment where talent thrives, furthering its goal of shaping the future of real estate investment. Sharma's leadership will continue to advance the firm's mission to deliver sustainable growth and performance across its portfolio. A native of , Sharma is a chartered accountant and earned his bachelor's degree in finance from at the University of in 2009. Sharma's global perspective and track record of integrating analytics into investment strategies position him as a key player in advancing AWH Partners' investor-centric vision. "My goal is to further integrate analytics into every aspect of our investment process to ensure we are at the forefront of data and technology use in real estate investment worldwide," he said. AWH Partners (AWH) is a leading national platform for hotel real estate investment, management and development. Privately held, it was founded in 2010 by alumni of The Blackstone Group and The Related Companies. The firm partners with marquee institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals around the world. Its portfolio includes properties from renowned brands, including the Marriott and Hilton corporations, as well as independently branded assets. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE AWH Partners
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