Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A Mississippi man was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison after being convicted of murdering a university student to allegedly cover up a romantic relationship.
Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther handed down the sentence to Timothy Herrington, who pleaded guilty a day earlier to second-degree murder and evidence-tampering charges, The Oxford Eagle reported. Herrington's plea came just as his trial was about to get underway for the murder of Jimmie "Jay" Lee, a University of Mississippi, or "Ole Miss," student who disappeared in 2022.
Following the sentence, Luther noted the case has been closely watched nationally in anticipation that Lee would not receive justice because he "lived a lifestyle that was different from most people in Mississippi," the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported. But Luther said that "Mississippi got it right this time."
"This case was investigated more thoroughly than any case I've ever dealt with in my 35 years in the criminal justice system," Luther said.
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