I cut and pasted from a few different articles, all linked here.
I figured this way you guys could read a more concise update on what's going on instead of 6, 7 articles that all say the same thing but with 1 or 2 new things peppered in - if that makes sense?
Justice for Jay
Ole Miss student Jimmie 'Jay' Lee killing not threat to LGBTQ community (clarionledger.com)
Members of the LGBTQ community in Oxford have been asking police to release more information about the nature of the case ever since Herrington was arrested three weeks ago. Many members said more transparency from police would help them make decisions about how to stay safe.
Police nodded to this perspective in the release: “More broadly, we want to stress that our agencies are committed to doing all that we can to maintain a safe environment for everyone in our community.”
Members of the LBGTQ community are
more likely to be the victim of physical harm from domestic and intimate partners. This is especially true for Black queer people who face compounded discrimination due to homophobia and racism — a routine threat of violence that is personal and systemic, with roots much deeper than any one case.
The release also follows a story Mississippi Today published
earlier this week based on accounts from 11 LGBTQ students, faculty and University of Mississippi alumni who said they no longer felt safe in Oxford. At least one community member is afraid to leave their house, said Jaime Harker, the director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at UM and the owner of Violet Valley, a feminist bookstore near Oxford.
Harker said she felt that OPD’s silence contributed to harrowing rumors in the community about the nature and reason for Lee’s killing.
“
I think people are filling the void with what their biggest fears are,” she said.
Lee, 20, was a well-known member of Oxford’s LBGTQ community who regularly performed at Code Pink, a local drag night. An open, confident person, Lee ran for homecoming king last year to promote a platform of “self love and living your truth.” He repeatedly spoke out about the harassment received for wearing women’s clothing.
For many people in the community, Lee’s outspokenness made his disappearance all the more terrifying.
Lindsey Trinh, a senior journalism student at Ole Miss, told Mississippi Today that after weeks of receiving no information about Lee’s killing, she decided she was too fearful and anxious to return to classes in person. She wrote an email to the university provost and her professors explaining how Lee’s case had affected her.
“At the time and because of the unknown of why this has happened to Jay and the whereabouts of his body, I have decided that I cannot physically come back to Oxford for my last semester this Fall,” Trinh wrote in her email. “I fear for my safety and well-being as an outspoken and proud gay person of color.”
Oxford MS Police Department
(5) Oxford Police Dept on Twitter: "A statement from OPD and @OleMissPolice: https://t.co/11TOBYJMob" / Twitter
Suspect in disappearance of Ole Miss student Jimmie Jay Lee denied bond (clarionledger.com)
Judge Grady F. Tollison III rejected a request to set bond for Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., 22, of Grenada, during a preliminary hearing in Oxford.
Stephanie Lee also said Oxford Police told her a police dog detected a scent of decomposition in Herrington's home. Detectives in the case later testified that cadaver dogs alerted three times to the smell of a body in the area.
Officers also obtained a search warrant to view social media conversations on Herrington's phone that showed conversations between he and Lee on the morning of July 8, investigator said. They added that
Herrington did numerous computer searches about international travel and found Google searches for "how long it takes to strangle someone" minutes after Lee reportedly told Herrington he was on his way to the apartment.
Investigators also learned that Herrington had a moving service in Grenada, Mississippi. They said he brought a box truck to Oxford before taking it back to Grenada.
Herrington's defense team said even though
bodily fluids were found on blankets inside of the truck, the evidence was found weeks after Lee went missing and the vehicle could have been used by anyone
Lee's family is offering a $5,000 reward [for the location of his remains] and the Lafayette County CrimeStoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that would lead to his being found.
Bond denied for suspect, new details emerge in Jimmie "Jay" Lee case (wreg.com)
It was also revealed that Herrington went to his parent’s house and took gardening tools.
Prosecutors pushed for no bond because they believe Herrington is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Tayla Carey, the sister of Jimmie Jay Lee, is grateful bond has been denied for Herrington.
“
It’s a good feeling because a murderer is not on the streets and is not going to be on the streets, so everybody feels protected, because that’s all we want,” said Tayla Carey, Lee’s sister. “
We want everyone to be protected and safe. The fact that he didn’t even make a bond is truly an honor. It’s a great feeling because justice still has not been served. It is still going to get served, this is just the beginning.”
www.wtok.com
