Eliza Fletcher’s family, Mulroy speak out as Abston pleads guilty
“No legal resolution and no sentence can diminish the anguish of Liza’s murder,” Eliza Fletcher’s family said in a statement.
Topic: Cleotha Abston
RSSThere are 30 article(s) tagged Cleotha Abston:
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October 2024
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May 2024
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Cleotha Abston sentenced for 2021 rape
Abston, 40, waived his right to a sentencing hearing and agreed to the 80-year sentence in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee’s courtroom Friday, May 17.
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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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Jury deliberations stretch on in Abston rape trial
The jury began deliberating around 1 p.m. Thursday, April 11 — the third day of Cleotha Abston’s trial — before breaking at about 5 p.m.
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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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January 2024
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Cleotha Abston trial will have local jury
Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee made the decision during a motion hearing Wednesday, Jan. 3, after Abston’s attorney filed a change-of-venue motion, specifically requesting a jury from Davidson County.
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October 2023
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Trial date set for rape case against Cleotha Henderson
Shelby County Criminal Court Division VII Judge Lee Coffee set the trial date during a Thursday, Oct. 12, report date.
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September 2023
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One year later: Where the cases against Cleotha Henderson and Ezekiel Kelly stand
Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped and murdered on Sept. 2, 2022. Three days later, a shooting spree paralyzed the city. One man was arrested in each case. Here’s where those cases stand.
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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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DA to seek death penalty for Cleotha Henderson
Henderson is accused of the September 2022 kidnapping and killing of school teacher Eliza Fletcher.
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March 2023
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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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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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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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September 2022
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‘They didn’t care’ — Rape victim blames police for inaction
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.
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Report poses fresh questions about 2021 Cleotha Henderson rape inquiry
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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.
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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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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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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.
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Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer investigated in 2021 for rape
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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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