Cleotha Abston rape conviction upheld by Appeals Court
Cleotha Abston (in court in 2024) who also pleaded guilty to the 2022 murder of local schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher, was convicted last year for raping Alicia Franklin a year before killing Fletcher. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has denied the appeal of Cleotha Abston’s rape conviction last year.
Topics
Cleotha Abston Eliza Fletcher Alicia FranklinAarron 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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