Public defender’s office recuses itself from Cleotha Henderson, Ezekiel Kelly cases
On left, Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston, appears in Judge Lee Coffee’s courtroom on Feb. 3. On right, Ezekiel Kelly appears in court April 13. (Mark Weber, Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty on both individuals.
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Cleotha Henderson Ezekiel KellyJulia 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.
Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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