Could MPD have jailed Cleotha Henderson sooner?
Fresh questions surface about a series of expunged burglaries linked to murder defendant Cleotha Henderson.
There are 17 article(s) tagged Cleotha Abston:
Fresh questions surface about a series of expunged burglaries linked to murder defendant Cleotha Henderson.
Despite 53 disciplinary infractions, Cleotha Henderson served only 19 years of a 24-year sentence
The Daily Memphian obtained Henderson’s prison records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections; the documents reveal 53 infractions.
Henderson, also known by the surname Abston, is charged with first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
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.
Exclusive: A woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Cleotha Henderson, aka Cleotha Abston, the same man accused of killing Eliza Fletcher, says Memphis Police Department didn’t make solving her case a priority. Report poses fresh questions about 2021 Cleotha Henderson rape inquiryRelated story:
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.
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.
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.
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. Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer investigated in 2021 for rapeRelated story:
The public defender assigned to the case had asked during a hearing Wednesday to be recused.Related stories:
Reports link him to charges occurring as far back as age 11.Related story:
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.
District Attorney General: “... in contrast to whatever baseless speculation you might have seen, we have no reason to think this was anything other than an isolated attack by a stranger.” Locals react to Fletcher case with sympathy, calls for justiceRelated stories:
The new charges don’t appear connected to the Fletcher disappearance. They are related to a theft that occurred Thursday, Sept. 1 at a Malco Theater on North Germantown Parkway.
The body found in South Memphis on Labor Day has been identified as missing jogger Eliza Fletcher, police said Tuesday, Sept. 6.
A man detained after wrecking a car Saturday now faces kidnapping charges in the abduction of Eliza ‘Liza’ Fletcher. He previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2001 and served more than 20 years in jail. Law enforcement teams comb area around Pine Hill Park Vehicle located, one person detained in Fletcher case; Family releases statementRelated stories:
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