The suspect who faces charges in connection to the death of billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher has a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction on a rape charge, according to court records.
Cleotha Abston, 38, first entered the juvenile court system at age 11 when he was arrested in June 1995 on a charge of theft of property less than $500, according to court records obtained by Action News 5. Over the next five years, Abston would be detained 16 more times on charges that ranged from aggravated assault to unlawful possession of a weapon to rape.
On his rape charge, Abston’s victim, a male, testified in court, according to records. However, the charge was later sustained, and Abston was moved into the custody of Shelby County’s Youth Services Bureau — where he was placed several times throughout his youth, according to the outlet.
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In May 2000, Abston was arrested and charged for kidnapping Memphis Defense Attorney Kemper Durand at gunpoint in order to make him withdraw money from an ATM, records show. Abston was 16 at the time, but he was tried as an adult and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Nine years later, Abston requested an early release, citing “ineffective counsel,” according to court records. However, the request was rejected in part by a victim statement by Durand, who said he was “extremely lucky” he escaped and that Abston felt “absolutely no remorse for the crime.”
Ultimately, Abston served 20 years of the 24-year sentence and was released from Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility in November 2020, records show. Abston was released early because of credits he earned by serving time before his sentence began and because of his participation in the prison’s job program working in the kitchen and laundry room, the outlet reported.
Most recently, Abston was arrested over the weekend and now faces charges in connection with the murder of Eliza Fletcher, the granddaughter of hardware tycoon Joseph Orgill III and a mother of two. Abston faces charges of kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and first-degree murder.
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Fletcher went missing on Friday after she went on an early morning jog. She was found dead by authorities on Monday after officials traced the tire marks and odor of decay to a driveway in Tennessee near where her body was discovered, according to reports.
Police tied Abston to the abduction after video footage showed him forcing Fletcher into an SUV that morning near the University of Memphis. She was found dead roughly 7.5 miles from where the surveillance footage showed her abduction, according to authorities.
It is unclear what led up to her kidnapping or what the cause of death was, and the matter is under investigation.
