Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer investigated in 2021 for rape
Cleotha Abston (middle) appears in Judge Louis Montesi’s courtroom for his arraignment on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Abston, charged with kidnapping and murdering jogger Eliza Fletcher, was investigated last year for rape but not arrested. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
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The Institute for Public Service Reporting
The Institute for Public Service Reporting is based at the University of Memphis and supported financially by U of M, private grants and donations made through the University Foundation. Its work is published by The Daily Memphian through a paid-use agreement.
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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Eliza Fletcher Cleotha Abston rape kitsIn partnership with
The Institute for Public Service Reporting is based at the University of Memphis and supported financially by U of M, private grants and donations made through the University Foundation. Its work is published by The Daily Memphian through a paid-use agreement.
Marc Perrusquia
Marc Perrusquia is the director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis, where graduate students learn investigative and explanatory journalism skills working alongside professionals. He's won numerous state and national awards for government watchdog, social justice and political reporting. Follow the Institute on Facebook or Twitter @psr_memphis.