A Tennessee man kidnapped and killed a Memphis kindergarten teacher. Now, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A Shelby County judge sentenced Cleotha Abston, 40, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Eliza Fletcher. Abston pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
"I want us today to acknowledge and celebrate the life of Liza Fletcher, a beloved daughter, wife, mother and teacher who was tragically kidnapped and murdered in a senseless act of random predatory violence. Today's agreement achieves finality for the family. The defendant gives up his right to appeal, so there won't be years and decades of appeals. It also helps the community, because this dangerous person will never again walk our streets. He will die in prison," said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, according to E News.
On Sep. 2, 2022, officers responded to Fletcher’s home after receiving a missing person call from the victim’s husband because his wife never returned home after going for a jog earlier in the day. Later, a cyclist found Fletcher’s cell phone and a pair of sandals in the streets and turned them in to authorities.
Soon, authorities retrieved a security video footage that showed Abston chasing the 34-year-old Fletcher near the University of Memphis at approximately 4 a.m. before forcing her into the passenger’s Black SUV and driving off. The next day, the defendant’s vehicle was spotted near the defendant’s home, and Abston’s DNA was found on the sandals. As a result, Abston was arrested after he attempted to flee.
Three days after she was reported missing, officers responded to the back of a vacant complex in a South Memphis neighborhood, where they found Fletcher’s body with a gunshot wound to the head.
“We have no idea what happened to you to turn you into someone so filled with a desire to hurt people. Whatever it was, it does not excuse or explain what you have done. You have changed our lives forever, and nothing will ever be the same. Your actions were evil. There is no other word for it. You murdered Liza, even though she did nothing to deserve it. She did not hurt you. In fact, she would’ve been the first to help if you needed it,” stated Flecher’s family during the victim impact statement, reported New York Times.
The victim’s family described Fletcher as a bright light with others in her church community, school, and her students who were moved by her faith.
Abston was a known entity to law enforcement. The defendant had served 20 years in prison for the 2000 kidnapping of a Memphis lawyer. Abston is also serving an 80-year sentence for a 2021 unrelated rape charge.
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