A man has been indicted on a capital murder charge in the death of a University of Mississippi student who went missing last summer and whose body has not been found, police said Wednesday.
The Oxford Police Department said in a statement that officers presented evidence this week and a grand jury indicted Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 22, of Grenada, Mississippi. The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department served the indictment on Herrington on Wednesday, police said.
Jimmie "Jay" Lee, 20, was last seen in early July at an apartment complex in Oxford. Lee was well known in the LGBTQ community in Oxford, and his disappearance sparked fear among students and residents.
Herrington's attorney, Kevin Horan, said Wednesday that a court appearance was not immediately scheduled for Herrington, who has maintained his innocence.
"The return of the prematurely publicized indictment is simply a routine step in the process," Horan told The Associated Press.
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Herrington was arrested on a murder charge two weeks after Lee vanished. In a lawsuit against the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department in October, Herrington said he was being jailed without evidence to implicate him in Lee’s death.
Herrington was released Dec. 1, when a judge set a $250,000 bond after Herrington agreed to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor.
Police say Herrington’s cellphone history showed conversations between him and Lee the morning of July 8. They said Herrington did computer searches about international travel, and they found Google searches for "how long it takes to strangle someone" minutes after Lee reportedly told Herrington he was on his way to the apartment.
Officers continue to search for Lee’s body, Oxford police said Wednesday.
"Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with the Lee family, and we thank them for their constant support," the police statement said.
