Cleotha Abston, a 40-year-old man from Tennessee, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering Memphis mother Eliza Fletcher during her morning jog in 2022. He will face life in prison without the possibility of parole, avoiding the death penalty. Abston was arrested a day after Fletcher’s abduction, and additional charges were added after her remains were found. He pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty due to mounting evidence against him. Abston had previously been convicted of a 2021 rape before entering the plea for Fletcher’s murder.
Eliza Fletcher was a mother of two, a teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, and an avid runner. She had previously taught Kindergarten at Promise Academy in Nashville and coached soccer. Fletcher was described as full of life and had completed the St. Jude marathon in Memphis, qualifying for the elite Boston Marathon. She was remembered as a great leader in her church, Second Presbyterian Church, where she married her husband, Richard Fletcher III, in 2014. The couple shared two sons.
Fletcher’s family addressed Abston, expressing their grief over the loss of Eliza and the impact his actions had on their lives. They stated that his actions were evil and unjustifiable, and that he had changed their lives forever. Despite the guilty plea, they emphasized that nothing will ever be the same without Eliza. Abston’s attorneys advised him to plead guilty due to overwhelming evidence and the likelihood of a death penalty sentence from a jury.
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