Two years ago, a University of Mississippi student mysteriously disappeared from campus. Police identified the suspect behind his vanishing as a former student. However, the trial jury had an issue deciding if the suspect wasn’t just a kidnapper, but a killer.
The body of 20-year-old Jay Lee, a prominent figure in the Ole Miss’ LGBTQ+ community, was never recovered since he vanished from campus in 2022. A judge declared him dead, assuming someone killed him, per The Associated Press. Before he vanished, police say he had a sexual encounter with former student Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. He was arrested two weeks after Lee disappeared.
During the investigation, police testified they found explicit messages between the two via social media, per The Clarion Ledger. Prosecutors said the conversation showed Herrington, who was not openly gay, lured Lee to his apartment promising sex. However, prosecutors also found a concerning online search on how long it takes to “strangle a person” on Herrington’s phone, per the report.
That day, Herrington was also seen buying duct tape at a nearby store before heading to Grenada, prosecutors said during trial. Considering the suspicious circumstances, prosecutors claimed Lee was killed by Herrington after meeting him to protect the secret of his sexuality from his friends and family.
Herrington was charged with capital murder. Though, jurors were also told they could consider other charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter, giving Herrington between 20 years to life in prison if convicted, per The AP.
Herrington’s trial came to a close this week, sending the jury into deliberation for nine hours. When they came back deadlocked, the judge encouraged them twice more to continue deliberating. However, on the third deadlock Wednesday, the judge declared a mistrial.
“I’ve asked a lot of you,” he said via The AP.
Herrington’s defense argued there could be no conviction without a body, the report says. Given the fact Lee’s body is still missing, they may have a point. It’s unclear if prosecutors will attempt to try Herrington again.