The sad news is the 34-year-old, married mother of two, kindergarten teacher who was jogging in Memphis over the weekend, and was seen on video being kidnapped, is dead. Her body was found Monday night, and her death was confirmed on Tuesday.
The question looming in the heads of many is, why was a man who had had a previous criminal history, including abduction, theft and rape, and had been in prison for 20 years, released to walk the public streets again and commit murder?
US Marshals arrested 38-year-old Cleotha Abston on Saturday in connection with the abduction of Eliza Fletcher. Video surveillance shows him in an SUV, trailing her, leaving the car, grabbing her in a violent struggle, pushing her into the vehicle and the car was stationary for four minutes. After that he drove off, with her. At the scene were left a sandal, later found by DNA analysis to belong to Abston, and Eliza’s cell phone.
When police apprehended the suspect at his home, which they were led to by the sandal and identification of the SUV, he briefly tried to flee, but was arrested.
At the time of arrest, the charge involved abduction. How it will be upgraded to murder.
Abston’s criminal history dates back to when he was only 12-years-old, which incudes being accused of rape as a teenager, and the abduction of a prosecutor, Kemper Durand, deceased, in 2000. In that incident, Abston forced the prosecutor to withdraw money from ATMs while he drove him around the city in the trunk of his car. The attorney escaped with his life. He has since passed away.
Abston “held a gun at Kemper’s face and demanded his car keys” and forced him into the trunk, Durand’s former law firm, Lewison Thomason, recalled in an obit after the attorney’s death.
Abston was later convicted of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced in 2001 and was sent to prison. He was released in 2020.
Witnesses in the neighborhood said he was a “creep” and a “pervert” and would approach people for sex.
Abston is being arraigned on Tuesday, September 6. The man is only 38-years-old. Will he be put away for the rest of his life?