The man accused of murdering an Ole Miss student is seeking a change in location for his upcoming trial.
Legal counsel representing Timothy Herrington, Jr., the subject accused of killing Jimmie “Jay” Lee two summers ago, has filed a change-in-venue motion to ensure that the court proceedings do not take place in Lafayette County.
Kevin Horan, a Mississippi state representative who happens to be the defendant’s lead attorney, argued that a fair trial could not be held in the north Mississippi community due to the wide-scale media coverage and notoriety the case had garnered.
Herrington was indicted by a grand jury on a capital murder charge in March 2023. The 23-year-old was arrested on July 22, 2022, and was charged with first-degree murder in conjunction with Lee’s sudden disappearance.
Though bond was initially denied for Herrington, his legal team filed a lawsuit against the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, which ultimately led to the suspect being released on the condition that his lawyers withdrew their litigation. Herrington was also required to wear an ankle monitor and surrender his passport.
Investigators reported that Herrington and Lee had been in an intimate relationship with each other prior to Lee going missing. It is believed that the two were in an argument as Lee was traveling to meet Herrington.
Court documents revealed that Herrington had gone to Google on his computer to search, “How long does it take to strangle someone?” just moments after Lee told Herrington that he was heading to his apartment.
Detective Ryan Baker with the Oxford Police Department stated that cadaver dogs were alerted four times to the aroma of a dead body inside Herrington’s apartment and twice inside his car. Police K-9s were also alerted multiple times of the scent of a decomposing body in a box-moving truck Herrington had access to.
According to the lawsuit, detectives were unable to confirm if the dogs were verified to detect human remains.
Lee, a beloved member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community, has not been seen since July 8, 2022. Herrington’s trial, which is scheduled to begin on October 15, is expected to span over a two-week period.
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