OXFORD, Miss — The man charged with murder in the disappearance of Ole Miss student Jimmie Jay Lee was denied bail after a day-long hearing Tuesday.
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. is charged with the murder of Lee.
Tuesday was a bond and preliminary hearing, but so much more was revealed about the day - July 8, 2022 - when Lee went missing.
Lee's mother Stephanie Lee took the stand first. She said she and Lee were very close and spoke at least five to six times a day.
July 8th was Stephanie’s birthday. She received a happy birthday text from Lee around 2 a.m. When she responded later that morning, she said never heard back. Stephanie Lee called Oxford Police and Lee's friend to do a wellness check. Police said Lee and his car were gone, but his dog was still in the apartment.
Oxford Police Detective Ryan Baker took the stand next. He said detectives received a tip from Lee's friend saying Lee met someone on social media, hooked up with the person, got into an argument, blocked the person on social media, and went back to meet that person again the same morning. The detective said that was after the person contacted him under a different username.
He said messages on Snapchat also showed that Lee and the person had a sexual relationship and Lee was going back to meet him.
Through searches, detectives said they were able to identify the person Jimmie Lee met as Sheldon Herrington Jr.
Prosecutors also showed various surveillance videos. One showed Jimmie Lee’s car pulling into Herrington’s apartment after 7 a.m. that morning. Shortly after, a man is seen running exiting the complex.
That same man was spotted at a nearby gas station moments later flagging down a car. The man got into the car, which was pulled over in a traffic stop minutes later. Bodycam video showed the passenger to be Herrington.
Investigators later interrogated Herrington and searched his apartment. Detectives said cadaver dogs found hits in Herrington’s apartment, SUV, and his box truck used for his moving company.
They also said Herrington did a Google search that morning on “how long does it take to strangle someone” and showed pictures of Herrington at Walmart buying duct tape.
During cross examination, Herrington’s attorney Kevin Horan said investigators never interviewed the cadaver dog handlers and couldn’t identify if the dogs were human remains, tracking, search and rescue, or tracing dogs. He also argued that cadaver dogs are not trace evidence and no physical evidence or items were found in Herrington’s apartment or on Herrington’s body.
Herrington’s mother Tina, a Sunday school teacher, and school teachers also took the stand and described his academic achievements and community service.
Investigators are still searching for Jimmie Lee’s body.
RELATED: 'Justice for Jay Lee' supporters rally as missing Ole Miss student's accused killer appears in court