Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston, arraigned for charges in 2021 rape case
Cleotha Henderson (in a Sept. 6 photo), who’s also known by the surname Abston, was arraigned Thursday for a rape and kidnapping investigated by the Memphis Police Department in 2021. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Cleotha Henderson, also known by the surname Abston, was arraigned Thursday for a rape and kidnapping investigated by the Memphis Police Department in 2021.
He was also arraigned for carrying a firearm as a felon when he was detained following Eliza Fletcher’s abduction earlier this month.
Henderson’s official charges in the 2021 case are for especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and illegal possession of a firearm.
“This gun is a gun that was found during the incident from two weeks ago where the murder occurred,” said prosecutor Austin Scofield.
Criminal Court Judge Lee V. Coffee read Henderson his rights and asked if he would be able to afford an attorney. Henderson, who said he did not work before his arrest, chose to retain Jennifer Case, his public defender who is representing him for other charges related to Fletcher’s kidnapping and murder.
In the Fletcher case, he is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and especially aggravated kidnapping.
In September 2021, a woman told police that Henderson abducted and raped her at gunpoint. Henderson, who was released from prison in November 2020 for another kidnapping 20 years earlier, remained free until he was arrested earlier this month for Fletcher’s murder.
His charges for the 2021 case came after results from a rape kit submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation by the Memphis Police Department Sept. 21, 2021 were completed.
The DNA from the rape kit positively matched that of Henderson’s, according to authorities.
Henderson was formally charged with the rape Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, six days after Fletcher was abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis campus.
A testing backlog and MPD’s decision to not request expedited analysis led to an 11-month delay, according to the TBI.
Henderson’s belated charges have reminded the public of the need to address a years-long backlog on rape kits.
Scofield said Henderson’s murder charge could potentially qualify as a capital murder case.
“It certainly qualifies,” Scofield said. “That is not something any kind of decisions have been made on yet and probably won’t be any time soon.”
Henderson’s separate cases would not be tried together, Scofield said.
The next step, he said, is beginning the discovery process.
If convicted of the aggravated rape and kidnapping charges, Henderson would be considered a repeat violent offender and would be sentenced to life without parole.
Henderson is also facing charges for identity theft, theft of property $1,000 or less and fraudulent use of a credit or debit card for another incident.
Henderson’s next court appearance in Coffee’s courtroom will be Friday, Nov. 4.
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Topics
Cleotha Abston Cleotha Henderson rape kits Eliza Fletcher Jennifer Case Austin ScofieldJulia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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