Jury Selection Set for Second Trial in Jay Lee Killing

On November 24, 2025 a judge directed that jurors for the retrial of Timothy Herrington be drawn from Canton, with jury selection set to begin in Lafayette County courts on December 1, 2025. Herrington is charged in the 2022 killing of University of Mississippi student Jimmie "Jay" Lee, and the court has ordered that jurors selected in Canton will be transported to Oxford for the proceedings.

The case has stretched across three years and several jurisdictions. Officials say Lee disappeared in 2022 and Herrington was arrested shortly after that disappearance. Authorities later located Lee's remains in Carroll County earlier in 2025, a development that renewed public attention and prompted additional pretrial motions. A previous criminal trial in December 2024 ended in a hung jury, leaving the county to prepare for a new selection process and full retrial.

Procedural history includes prior requests to change venue, and the judge's recent order selecting jurors in Canton reflects efforts to address concerns about pretrial publicity and to assemble an impartial panel. The logistics call for jurors to be summoned and screened in Canton, then escorted to the Lafayette County courthouse in Oxford for trial sessions. Those arrangements are intended to balance fair trial rights with courthouse capacity and public access.

For Lafayette County residents the trial touches on several local concerns. The University of Mississippi community remains closely attuned to safety and closure for the victim's family. Court operations will likely increase traffic around the courthouse during trial weeks, and local law enforcement and court staff will manage security and transport for jurors. The emotional weight of the case continues to resonate across Oxford, particularly among friends and classmates who remember Lee as a student.

The retrial scheduled to begin jury selection on December 1 will be watched closely by local residents and university officials. The outcome of the selection process will determine how quickly the court can proceed to evidence and testimony, and it will shape how the community seeks answers and closure after years of legal and personal upheaval.