Cleotha Abston rape conviction upheld by Appeals Court
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has denied the appeal of Cleotha Abston’s rape conviction last year.
Topic: Alicia Franklin
RSSThere are 29 article(s) tagged Alicia Franklin:
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October 2025
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April 2024
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Jury finds Cleotha Abston guilty for 2021 rape
Cleotha Abston, 40, was found guilty as charged on aggravated rape and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and guilty on a lesser charge of aggravated kidnapping, which was reduced from an especially aggravated kidnapping charge.
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Cleotha Abston will not testify during his trial
Cleotha Abston chose not to take the stand Wednesday, April 10, during the second day of trial for the alleged rape of Alicia Franklin.
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Cleotha Abston trial opens with victim testimony: ‘I didn’t want to die’
“It seemed like forever,” Alicia Franklin said of her alleged rape by Cleotha Abston during testimony she gave on the first day of trial in the case.
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Jury selection begins in first criminal case against Cleotha Abston
Abston’s attorney previously tried to have jurors from Davidson County used in the trial, arguing that excessive media coverage of the Eliza Fletcher case would taint a potential local jury pool.
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September 2023
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Judge gives timeline for Cleotha Henderson trials
Judge Lee Coffee urged Eliza Fletcher’s family to remain patient as they await a trial that will occur after Henderson is tried for allegedly raping Alicia Franklin in 2021.
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August 2023
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City appealing ruling in class-action rape kit backlog suit
Attorneys for the City of Memphis are appealing the class-action status of a lawsuit against the city over its lack of testing of more than 12,000 rape kits.
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July 2023
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Judge denies attempt to reopen Alicia Franklin civil suit against city
Alicia Franklin was allegedly raped by Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston, in 2021 — more than a year before his arrest for the death of Eliza Fletcher.
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June 2023
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Circuit Court judge holds off ruling on reopening Alicia Franklin case
Alicia Franklin was allegedly raped by Cleotha Henderson, aka Cleotha Abston, in 2021 — more than a year before his arrest for the death of Eliza Fletcher.
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April 2023
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Though dismissed last month, rape lawsuit against City of Memphis could be revived
New evidence should be considered in a dismissed lawsuit with ties to the death of Eliza Fletcher, according to recent court filings.
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March 2023
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Judge dismisses Alicia Franklin lawsuit against City of Memphis
Franklin claims if police had properly investigated her September 2021 rape and had subsequently arrested Cleotha Henderson, the abduction and death of Eliza Fletcher in September 2022 could have been avoided.
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City makes case to dismiss Alicia Franklin lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by Alicia Franklin alleges negligence by the city regarding her alleged September 2021 sexual assault by Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston.
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February 2023
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Henderson pleads not guilty to Fletcher murder charges
Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston, was arraigned on multiple counts Friday, including a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of Eliza Fletcher.
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January 2023
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Could MPD have jailed Cleotha Henderson sooner?
Fresh questions surface about a series of expunged burglaries linked to murder defendant Cleotha Henderson.
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December 2022
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City denies MPD failed to properly investigate a 2021 rape allegation against Cleotha Henderson
A lawsuit includes a claim that had a 2021 rape been properly investigated and had Cleotha Henderson been arrested, the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher could have been avoided.
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Sanford: Legal argument aside, the link between an unsolved rape and Eliza Fletcher’s murder is clear
Barring some technicality in the law, there is nothing complicated about whether there is a link between Alicia Franklin’s rape and Eliza Fletcher’s murder.
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Judge should dismiss rape victim’s suit, city attorney says
Attorneys for the City of Memphis want a judge to dismiss rape victim Alicia Franklin’s lawsuit, contending MPD owed Alicia Franklin no duty to investigate to the extent she wanted.
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November 2022
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A tale of two cities: How Nashville built a crime lab Memphis couldn’t
Following the murder of Eliza Fletcher, questions loom about MPD’s systems in investigating violent crime.
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October 2022
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How Henderson got out early for good behavior with more than 50 infractions
Despite 53 disciplinary infractions, Cleotha Henderson served only 19 years of a 24-year sentence
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Prison records show Cleotha Henderson guilty of 20 cases of indecent exposure
The Daily Memphian obtained Henderson’s prison records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections; the documents reveal 53 infractions.
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Preliminary hearing set for Cleotha Henderson
Henderson, also known by the surname Abston, is charged with first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
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Amended lawsuit says Henderson avoided rape charge for months despite evidence from girlfriend
An amended lawsuit contends Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer avoided arrest for rape in 2021 despite implicating details that a second witness gave Memphis police days after the attack.
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Opinion: Rape kit backlog is not just a Memphis problem
The handling of Alicia Franklin’s rape kit and Eliza Fletcher’s death should not be framed as another example of Memphis’ high crime rates or counted as failings unique to the Memphis Police Department, says guest columnist Sarah Hunter Simanson.
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September 2022
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MLGW: 23 bids, 5,000 pages of documents and a one-hour presentation
Only three bidders — NextEra Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Franklin L. Haney Company — submitted full-requirement proposals to MLGW during its RFP process for a new energy provider.
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Developments linked to Eliza Fletcher case shift violent crime discourse
The city’s discussion on what to do about violent crime is different after two high-profile crimes have raised larger questions. The difference is among the topics discussed on “Behind The Headlines.”
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