Gay Black Students at Ole Miss 'Terrified' in Wake of Killing
More than a month after what prosecutors say was the July murder of out gay student Jimmie "Jay" Lee and the arrest of a suspect, other gay Black students at the University of Mississippi remain "terrified" of returning to the school, according to Insider.
Lee's former roommate, Braylyn Johnson, who is also Black and "a member of the LGBTQ community," is a former student at the university. Johnson told Insider, "For a lot of gay people there, we're scared," adding, "Especially for gay Black men. They're scared. They're terrified."
Insider recalled that "Lee was known for performing in drag and inspired others on campus who identify as LGBTQ."
The police department put out a statement reassuring the public that "the killing of Jimmie 'Jay' Lee...is an 'isolated incident' that does not reflect a broader threat to queer people in Mississippi," local newspaper the Clarion Ledger reported.
"Two weeks after Lee went missing July 8, police arrested Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., a recent graduate of the university, and charged him with Lee's murder," the Insider account detailed, going on to say that there was evidence Herrington and Lee had been involved in a sexual relationship.
"Prosecutors said Herrington's motive for committing first-degree murder was his fear of being outed," Insider added, citing news station WLOX and saying that Herrington had "googled 'how long does it take to strangle someone'" a mere "two minutes before Lee was last seen alive on surveillance footage," according to the article.
News channel Action News 5 reported on Aug. 9 that Herrington had been denied bond after six hours of testimony at a hearing, and specified that Herrington had been charged with first-degree murder on July 22.
At the bond hearing, "Investigators also introduced evidence that Herrington messaged Jay Lee at 5:54 a.m. on Snapchat to 'come over,'" Action News 5 detailed. "Then, the court showed evidence that two minutes later Herrington searched 'how long it would take to strangle someone' on his MacBook computer."
More evidence followed, the news channel relayed. "The prosecution introduced surveillance video showing Lee's car entering Lafayette Place [apartment complex, where Herrington lived] at 6:03 a.m., the same time Lee's last message went out to Herrington."
Insider said that security camera video also showed what prosecutors said was "video footage from 7:25 a.m. that morning... [of] Herrington driving Lee's car to [an] apartment complex but never going inside and then, shortly afterward, someone jogging away in a gray hoodie and flagging down a ride at a nearby gas station."
Other evidence presented by the prosecution included "photos that they alleged depict Herrington preparing to dispose of Lee's body," with the prosecution adding that "police dogs caught the scent of a cadaver inside Herrington's apartment, work truck, and SUV — where investigators also found suspicious strands of hair."
The prosecutor in the bond hearing argued that "if Herrington is savvy enough to quote 'Lure, Kill and Stage' all of this, he should not receive bail," Action News 5 reported.
Lee's body has yet to be recovered, reports said.