JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a missing ole miss student is now out on bond.
Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department confirms to us that Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. was released from jail around 2:50 p.m. on Thursday.
Herrington was given a $250,000 bond.
His legal time and the district attorney’s office came to an agreement on an order setting bail for the 22-year-old.
The order states that Herrington must buy and wear a GPS monitoring device, and he must also turn in his passport to the Sheriff of Lafayette County until the end of his trial.
This news comes nearly four months after a judge denied bond for Herrington.
Herrington is accused of murdering his Ole Miss classmate Jimmie “Jay” Lee.
“It just doesn’t seem fair, he was denied bond in August for a reason, and it should’ve stayed that way,” said Brayln Johnson, who’s friends with Jimmy “Jay” Lee.
Johnson, along with Michael Knowles and Jose Reyes has spent the past few months advocating and fighting to get justice for Lee
In fact, Reyes spent hours on Thursday continuing his fight.
He calls this latest development a slap in the face.
“It’s devastating, especially, when we had such a successful day advocating, and it was overall a good day for Jay Lee,” said Reyes. “It was all taken away the day we found out he was released. It’s a major step back, but as I said, we’re going to continue fighting.”
“We won’t be silent about this at all,” said Knowles. “We will continue to fight, continue to be supportive of his (Lee) family especially, and pray that they get closer to where their son is.”
Herrington, who investigators say was the last person to see Lee alive, was arrested a few weeks later on July 22nd.
During a hearing in August, prosecutors revealed that Herrington and Lee, who’s a member of the LGBTQ Community, had a sexual relationship, even showing messages the two sent to each other leading up to Lee’s disappearance.
In court that same day, investigators revealed that Herrington googled “How long does it take to strangle someone,” just minutes before Lee arrived at his apartment.
However, nearly five months after Lee’s disappearance his body still hasn’t been found.
In October, Herrington’s legal team filed a lawsuit asking for his release, stating that he is being illegally held in jail and there has been no direct evidence to implicate him in Lee’s murder.
“We’re grateful that Lafayette County saw fit to grant him bond based upon what they’ve seen so far within the case,” said Tevin Coleman, Herrington’s older brother.
Herrington’s family members and legal team are continuing to maintain his innocence.
“Our family is praying for both sides,” said Coleman. “We know there’s a missing person, but we also know there’s an innocent person involved as well.”
Herrington’s case is set to go before a grand jury in 2023.
At this time, there’s still no word on an exact date.
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