Free Republic

A killer unexpectedly pleaded guilty to abducting and murdering an heiress elementary school teacher during her morning run. Cleotha Abston, 40, admitted to the September 2022 killing of Eliza Fletcher, 34, in a Memphis court Monday morning. The career criminal was branded 'evil' by Fletcher's family as he was sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder and aggravated kidnaping. It was a surprise turn of events, as Abston was due to stand trial in February, 2024, and prosecutors had said they would seek the death penalty. The mom-of-two, a member of a billionaire Tennessee software family, vanished during an...

At 5:07 pm, officers in the 1600 block of Victor located a deceased party. The identity of this person and the cause of death is unconfirmed at this time. The investigation is ongoing.

The body found near the Memphis crime scene late Sunday has been identified as missing teacher and young mother Eliza Fletcher, the Memphis Police Department confirmed. Fletcher was abducted while she was running near the University of Memphis early Friday morning. Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Cleotha Abston, 38, on Saturday after matching his DNA to a pair of sandals found near the scene. Abston was charged Tuesday morning with first-degree murder, in addition to his previous charges, records show.

[...] Fletcher, 34, was abducted on her regular 4 a.m. jog Friday after stalked by Cleotha Abston, who’d waited for her to run past him, the police affidavit alleged. She had run from her home in the fancy Central Gardens neighborhood to a nice area near the University of Memphis campus. Court records show Abston, 38, is a previously convicted kidnapper: he pleaded guilty to especially aggravated kidnapping and robbery in 2001. He was sentenced to 24 years and 11 years in prison respectively, although it is unclear how long he remained incarcerated and if he served his sentences concurrently....

The Memphis Police Department has arrested a man in connection with the kidnapping of missing teacher Eliza Fletcher. Cleotha Abston, 38, was arrested and charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence following Fletcher’s mysterious disappearance on Friday, Memphis police said early Sunday. "The investigation into the abduction of Eliza Fletcher is still active and ongoing. Investigators are continuing the search and following all leads," the police department said.