Attorney argues to have Cleotha Abston rape conviction overturned
Cleotha Abston was convicted last year of raping Alicia Franklin at gunpoint in 2021. He later pleaded guilty to the murder of Eliza Fletcher in 2022, roughly a year after Franklin’s rape, and was sentenced to life in prison. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Cleotha Abston was convicted last year for raping Alicia Franklin in 2021. He later pleaded guilty to the murder of Eliza Fletcher in 2022, and was sentenced to life in prison.
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Cleotha AbstonAarron 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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