Current:Home > MarketsMissing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
View Date:2024-12-23 14:21:49
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge has declared a missing University of Mississippi student legally dead more than two years after his disappearance.
Jimmie “Jay” Lee, 20, was last seen July 8, 2022, driving from an apartment complex in Oxford. His vehicle was later recovered at another complex, but neither Lee nor his body were found.
Lee was well-known in the LGBTQ+ community in Oxford, and his disappearance sparked fear among students and residents.
Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished and later indicted on a capital murder charge. Police have said Herrington’s cellphone history showed conversations between him and Lee on the morning Lee went missing. They said they found Google searches for “how long it takes to strangle someone” minutes after Lee reportedly told Herrington he was on his way to his apartment. Herrington has maintained his innocence.
Court documents show Lee’s parents filed a petition for declaration of death in the Lafayette County Circuit Court in September, The Clarion-Ledger reported. Judge Grady Tollison granted the request and signed the order in October, the newspaper said.
Tollison noted the court previously ruled the “proof is evident and the presumption great” that Lee was dead further stating the court’s opinion “has not changed.”
″(Lee) is a person that has undergone a catastrophic event that exposed him to imminent peril or danger reasonably expected to result in the loss of life. Further, that it is uncontradicted that Mr. Lee’s absence since the event cannot be satisfactorily explained after diligent search and inquiry by family, friends and multiple law enforcement agencies,” Tollison wrote in the one-page order.
Herrington’s attorney, Kevin Horan, did not immediately respond Tuesday to a telephone message seeking comment.
Herrington is set to face trial Dec. 2.
veryGood! (4522)
Related
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- Hidden audits reveal millions in overcharges by Medicare Advantage plans
- People Near Wyoming Fracking Town Show Elevated Levels of Toxic Chemicals
- Unusually Hot Spring Threw Plants, Pollinators Out of Sync in Europe
- 'Unfortunate error': 'Wicked' dolls with porn site on packaging pulled from Target, Amazon
- Unusually Hot Spring Threw Plants, Pollinators Out of Sync in Europe
- Canadian Court Reverses Approval of Enbridge’s Major Western Pipeline
- Today’s Climate: August 5, 2010
- Shaun White Reveals How He and Fiancée Nina Dobrev Overcome Struggles in Their Relationship
- Stop hurting your own feelings: Tips on quashing negative self-talk
Ranking
- Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia Explains Why She’s Not Removing Tattoo of Ex Zach Bryan’s Lyrics
- 'Sunny Makes Money': India installs a record volume of solar power in 2022
- WHO renames monkeypox as mpox, citing racist stigma
- General Hospital Actress Jacklyn Zeman Dead at 70
- Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
- Colorado Court Strikes Down Local Fracking Restrictions
- ‘Threat Map’ Aims to Highlight the Worst of Oil and Gas Air Pollution
- Celebrated Water Program That Examined Fracking, Oil Sands Is Abruptly Shut Down
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Christine Brown Shares Glimpse Into Honeymoon One Year After Marrying David Woolley
-
Jennifer Garner Reveals Why Her Kids Prefer to Watch Dad Ben Affleck’s Movies
-
How climate change is raising the cost of food
-
Chase Sui Wonders Shares Insight Into Very Sacred Relationship With Boyfriend Pete Davidson
-
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
-
Texas Gov. Abbott announces buoy barrier in Rio Grande to combat border crossings
-
Depression And Alzheimer's Treatments At A Crossroads
-
Coastal Real Estate Worth Billions at Risk of Chronic Flooding as Sea Level Rises