Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer investigated in 2021 for rape
In September 2021, a woman told police Cleotha Abston abducted and raped her at gunpoint, yet Abston remained free until he was arrested earlier this week for Eliza Fletcher’s murder.
Topic: Eliza Fletcher
RSSThere are 83 article(s) tagged Eliza Fletcher:
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September 2022
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Conaway: Pauses in the flow, a city’s tragic losses
Eliza Fletcher was a measure of this city. This tiny, tiny town with such a huge, huge heart.
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Gubernatorial candidate faults Lee, state Legislature for DNA test delays
During a campaign stop Thursday, Sept. 15, in Memphis, Dr. Jason Martin pointed to low funding levels for the TBI crime lab despite a state surplus of $2 billion
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Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston, arraigned for charges in 2021 rape case
The man accused in the death of Eliza Fletcher has also been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and illegal possession of a firearm after results from a rape kit submitted in 2021 linked him to that crime.
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‘Eliza. It means joy.’ Hundreds gather to remember Eliza Fletcher
Cars overflowed from the Second Presbyterian Church parking lot onto Central Avenue as the community gathered Saturday, Sept. 10, for the funeral of Eliza Fletcher.
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Calkins: With hope and defiance, thousands finished Eliza Fletcher’s run
They didn’t let fear stop them. Exactly one week after Eliza Fletcher’s abduction and death, more than a thousand Memphians turned out at 4:20 a.m. to finish the run that Eliza could not.
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Opinion: Women should be able to run at 4:20 a.m. — but it’s complicated
“Women should be able to run — to exist in any space at any time — without fear of violence. But that isn’t the reality we live in,” says guest columnist Sarah Hunter Simanson.
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Sanford: A caring lawyer, a ruthless youth offender and, 22 years later, a heartbreaking homicide
One was an attorney who used the law to make a positive difference in society. The other was a gun-wielding juvenile delinquent. Their paths crossed on the evening of May 25, 2000, and now, 22 years later, it serves as an eerie backstory to the tragic kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher.
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Guest Column: We have seen how fragile, vulnerable — and resilient — Memphis is
“After this awful past week, many of us have something in common with Robert Church — we have the option to leave and the privilege of choice. I am so glad Robert Church chose to stay.”
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State crime lab took 11 months to test DNA linking Cleotha Abston to 2021 rape
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says MPD should have acted more aggressively to solve the 2021 assault; DNA analysis was completed a few days after the disappearance of Eliza Fletcher.
Related story:
Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer investigated in 2021 for rape
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Social Club: Locals ‘exhausted’ after back-to-back tragedies
Area organizations are offering “safe spaces” and free admission for residents to process their thoughts.
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Tucker Carlson blames ‘Bill Lee and guilty liberals like him’ for violent crime in Memphis
Carlson characterized Lee as soft on crime in a monologue against criminal justice reform, which, he claimed, “means letting violent people out of prison early.”
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City shaken by week of violence seeks comfort and answers
Leaders of the local Justice and Safety Alliance talked about the week of violence that has shaken the city on “Behind The Headlines.”
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Police find no threats to the public despite various reports
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Calkins: After a week of horror, should we still Choose 901?
It is the most serious crisis facing the city in decades. What are Memphians to do?
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Photo gallery: Thousands gather to ‘finish Liza’s run’
A week after Eliza Fletcher was abducted and murdered, thousands gathered in Memphis Friday morning to finish the run she could not.
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Eliza Fletcher funeral set for Saturday
Funeral services for 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher, a teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, will be held at Second Presbyterian Church in East Memphis.
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Run honoring Eliza Fletcher set for Friday morning
The Memphis Police Department confirmed Thursday there will be added security measures but would not elaborate.
Related stories:
Fletcher’s loss in education, faith communities ripples across city
Everything you need to know about ‘Let’s Finish Liza’s Run’
Calkins: Friday morning, a throng of women in Memphis will ‘finish Liza’s run.’
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The To-Do List: A Classic game, a weenie race and Backstreet’s back
This week, decompress with a day-long yoga fest, drink wine in the name of science and jam out to Americana music at the Lucero Family Block Party.
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Calkins: Friday morning, a throng of women in Memphis will ‘finish Liza’s run.’
Danielle Heineman, a runner, knew she had to do something in response to the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher. So she is inviting women to join her at 4:20 a.m. Friday to finish Eliza’s run.
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Fletcher’s loss in education, faith communities ripples across city
“She had a kind spirit. She was always happy, always bubbly. I don’t ever remember her being unhappy,” said a former employer. “She was very warm, very giving.”
Related stories:
Everything you need to know about ‘Let’s Finish Liza’s Run’
Calkins: Friday morning, a throng of women in Memphis will ‘finish Liza’s run.’
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Cleotha Abston defense counsel must continue to represent him, judge rules
The public defender assigned to the case had asked during a hearing Wednesday to be recused.
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Cleotha Abston’s legal troubles date back to his youth
Reports link him to charges occurring as far back as age 11.
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Bond revoked for suspect in Eliza Fletcher slaying
A judge ordered the $500,000 bond for the suspect in the abduction and slaying of Eliza Fletcher to be revoked pending a bond hearing during arraignment Wednesday, Sept. 7.
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Everything you need to know about ‘Let’s Finish Liza’s Run’
More than 2,000 women have expressed an interest in a Friday morning run to honor Eliza Fletcher. Here’s what you need to know.
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Locals react to Fletcher case with sympathy, calls for justice
Reaction on social media also centered on women feeling safe to run and exercise at any time of the day.
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