Found Deceased TN - Eliza "Liza" Fletcher Abducted While Jogging - Memphis #4 *Arrest*

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Too many people watching? Audio stops after a couple seconds.
 
Marysmith said:
Right?!
Eliza did nothing wrong and I cannot handle the people shaming her for running at that time.
But it’s made me rethink things. I was going to go to the ATM last evening at 9:30 but had to go inside a physical bank, that was closed, to do so and decided not to. I used to always think - I should be able to do whatever, whenever, but we live among people who are opportunistic predators.
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It really is a sad reality that people are not safe and anyone can be a victim of someone like this who has absolutely not regard for human life and no cares about prison or punishment. Women are definitely more likely to be victims of random crimes like this. I saw someone share a silicone ring with a knife like took on it as a safety item for people to wear when running. I don't think it was shared here, but if it was I apologize for sharing again, but we really can't share safety too much. It really seemed like a great device for a random attack. As much as I'd love to carry mace or another weapon while running or hiking, it just isn't always realistic to carry someone large.

Adding the link. I am in no way connected to this or gaining anything for sharing. There are plenty of other self defense type things also, but this one I haven't seen before and it seems like something easy to wear when exercising.
goguarded.com

Best Self Defense Ring Knife For Women and Runners - Go Guarded

The Go Guarded Ring is the best self-defense ring for women and runners. This defense ring with a hidden blade is convenient and effective.
goguarded.com goguarded.com

As a woman I was always told to carry my keys in my hands, a key can be used to stab someone, the car panic button can be used to create noise and draw attention. It's sad that this has become normal for women to be looking for threats and assessing where we can go, what looks iffy and if we are really safe doing every day things. It shouldn't be this way.
 
justtrish said:
It really is a sad reality that people are not safe and anyone can be a victim of someone like this who has absolutely not regard for human life and no cares about prison or punishment. Women are definitely more likely to be victims of random crimes like this. I saw someone share a silicone ring with a knife like took on it as a safety item for people to wear when running. I don't think it was shared here, but if it was I apologize for sharing again, but we really can't share safety too much. It really seemed like a great device for a random attack. As much as I'd love to carry mace or another weapon while running or hiking, it just isn't always realistic to carry someone large.

Adding the link. I am in no way connected to this or gaining anything for sharing. There are plenty of other self defense type things also, but this one I haven't seen before and it seems like something easy to wear when exercising.
goguarded.com

Best Self Defense Ring Knife For Women and Runners - Go Guarded

The Go Guarded Ring is the best self-defense ring for women and runners. This defense ring with a hidden blade is convenient and effective.
goguarded.com goguarded.com

As a woman I was always told to carry my keys in my hands, a key can be used to stab someone, the car panic button can be used to create noise and draw attention. It's sad that this has become normal for women to be looking for threats and assessing where we can go, what looks iffy and if we are really safe doing every day things. It shouldn't be this way.
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Thank you for sharing again! This thread is moving so quickly I have missed some pages of posts for sure.
Yes, I’ve done the keys thing before and that can work in a parking lot but not while running.
It shouldn’t be this way for sure. :(
 
In a press conference on September 6, 2022, Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said, “Today is a very sad day in the City of Memphis.” She expressed condolences to the family and friends impacted by the “heinous” kidnapping and murder of Fletcher. At 5:07 p.m. on September 5, police discovered human remains at the rear of a vacant duplex apartment 1600 block of Victor Street. The body was then positively identified as Fletcher, Davis said.

According to Shelby County jail records, the suspect goes by the name Cleotha “Pookie” Abston. A Facebook page for Pookie Abston, of south Memphis, says he is also known as “Wild Child.” The profile picture is a gun with the phrase “Wild Mob.”

Neighbors told Daily Mail that Abston was a “weird pervert” who stalked women, watched them and tried to get them to have sex with him for $100.

People referred to Cleotha Abston as “wild” on another Facebook page, in which he wrote about getting out of prison after 20 years. “I GOT 364 DAYS LEFT, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AFTER 20YEARS!” he wrote in 2019. He shared a gun photo on that page, which is in the name “Cleo Real.”
heavy.com

Cleotha Abston, Eliza Fletcher Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Cleotha Abston was identified as the suspect in the kidnapping of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher.
heavy.com heavy.com
 
elmomom said:
Actually, statistically, violent crime per capita has been going down since the 70-80s. It has had a minor spike during the last few years, mainly due to the pandemic it is believed. The awareness of crime, the media capitalizing on it as “good for business” and outside actors have all made Americans convinced that violent crime is much worse than years past, however it is not.

“Crime in the United States has been recorded since its founding. Crime rateshave varied over time, with a sharp rise after 1900 and reaching a broad bulging peak between the 1970s and early 1990s. After 1992, crime rates began to fall year by year and has since declined significantly. This trend lasted until 2015, where crime rates began to rise slightly. This reversed in 2018 and 2019, but violent crime increased significantly again in 2020.[1][2] Despite the increase in violent crime, particularly murders, between 2020 and 2021, the quantity of overall crime is still far below the peak of crime seen in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s, as other crimes such as rape, property crime and robbery continued to decline.[3][4]”.

Crime in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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This article acknowledges the reality of "an increase in violent crimes, particularly murders." I don't see its relevance to this case.
 
Knox said:
In this video, the Judge asks Abston why the cases have two different names and asks which is correct (Cleotha Abston Henderson), Abston answers "Henderson". Judge asks "where does the option come in" - Abston answers - " when I got a new ID, they told me it had been changed in the courts". Judge says "social security"? - Abston nods his head yes.
Click to expand...

IMO, it's probably inconsequential given CA's criminal history since age 12 where he's consistently been recognized by the courts as CA. I also noticed that CA was released from a 20+ year prison term during COVID19 (Nov 2020) when he allegedly learned about his name change from social security-- most likely via phone when seeking identification. To quote one of our own district court judges at a recent hearing in my County, "social security has no influence in this courtroom."

Seattle1 said:
Durand also detailed Abston's lengthy history in the juvenile court system prior to his conviction for the kidnapping, the earliest of which, Durand said, dated back to 1995 when he was no older than 12 years old. Abston also appeared in juvenile court records in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 for charges including theft, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, and rape, according to Durand's statement.
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^^rsbm
 

Here is a link to the press conference


States her body was located in rear of vacant duplex apartment at 1600 block of Victor street

CA is charged with murder in the first degree, 1st degree murder and perpetuation of kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence

Will be arraigned for the new charges tomorrow

Vehicle was spotted in apartment complex and MPD had him under surveillance before taking him into custody

Family has been in total cooperation during this process and it is believed to be an isolated attack by a stranger. Dismissed other claims circulating as baseless

Appears to be an isolated incident of stranger abduction and no one else is a suspect at this time

Still too early to determine place and method of death

Suspect hasn’t given much information

Still an ongoing investigation
 
Ticks me off. Ticks me off even more knowing that she was a fellow true crime aficionado and could have even been a member here for all we know! As such, I'm sure she vigilantly followed all the recommended safety protocols. The horror she must have felt in her last moments is sickening to the soul. RIP Liza. :(

Please don't run alone if you are female, because even if you are as attuned to the sicko criminal minds and methodologies as we tend to be, and protect yourself with all the tools and gadgets as we tend to do (and as I'm sure she did), the elements of surprise and overwhelming force win virtually every time. The rational mind simply shuts down.

JMO.
 
d) As used in subdivision (a)(1), “premeditation” is an act done after the exercise of reflection and judgment. “Premeditation” means that the intent to kill must have been formed prior to the act itself. It is not necessary that the purpose to kill preexist in the mind of the accused for any definite period of time. The mental state of the accused at the time the accused allegedly decided to kill must be carefully considered in order to determine whether the accused was sufficiently free from excitement and passion as to be capable of premeditation.

How would they determine he was “sufficiently free from excitement and passion?” Could the location her body was found indicate he prepared it for her arrival? I’m also wondering if she might have been subdued by injecting her with heroin or fentanyl?
 
vaporlass said:
I watched his hand when he raised it. Steady as a rock. I’ve seen others shake, but not CA. I suspected he had his face mask much higher to cover the wound I believe Eliza inflicted under his eye. I was surprised by the “premeditation” charge though I’ve thought it wasn’t random. Anyone know if he was informed of murder charges before he entered courtroom?
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Premeditated can be seconds before the crime, I think this is because he “waited for her” in those seconds he had time to change his mind and didn’t. Doesn’t necessarily mean thought out and planned.
 
Have been quietly watching and just devastated by these new developments. Praying for her family, friends, and all those who loved her.

This case hits close to home since I was in a very similar situation to Eliza when I was in college - through pure luck I had a split second where I was able to run and get away before the man could get me into his car. Please be careful out there - carry pepper spray, keys, whatever you can to protect yourselves. It’s a sad world we live in.

Praying for strength for this poor family.
 
vaporlass said:
d) As used in subdivision (a)(1), “premeditation” is an act done after the exercise of reflection and judgment. “Premeditation” means that the intent to kill must have been formed prior to the act itself. It is not necessary that the purpose to kill preexist in the mind of the accused for any definite period of time. The mental state of the accused at the time the accused allegedly decided to kill must be carefully considered in order to determine whether the accused was sufficiently free from excitement and passion as to be capable of premeditation.

How would they determine he was “sufficiently free from excitement and passion?” Could the location her body was found indicate he prepared it for her arrival? I’m also wondering if she might have been subdued by injecting her with heroin or fentanyl?
Click to expand...
I think it could even mean that in the 4 minutes in the parking lot he made the decision to wound her so severely it was fatal. He could have made the decision to let her go when she put up a fight instead of doing that.
 
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