Justice Served! Memphis Criminal Receives 80-year Sentence for Heinous Acts!

A Tennessee man was sentenced to 80 years in jail on Friday after raping a lady a year before being charged with kidnapping and killing a schoolteacher on an early morning run.

Cleotha Abston, who has a history of criminal accusations dating back to the 1990s as a juvenile, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for aggravated rape, 20 years for aggravated kidnapping, and another 20 years for felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Lee Coffee of Shelby County Criminal Court ordered that the sentences would run consecutively, or one after the other.

Abston, 40, was convicted on April 12 of raping a woman while keeping her at gunpoint in September 2021. The girl said she was raped after meeting Abston on a social dating site and agreeing to meet at his residence. A jury determined that Abston covered the woman’s face with a T-shirt, took her outside the apartment, and raped her in the backseat of his girlfriend’s car.

Coffee claimed Abston treated the victim with “exceptional cruelty.”

Abston waived a sentencing hearing at which witnesses could testify for or against him. Juni Ganguli, his lawyer, stated that by not having a sentencing hearing, they were able to prevent a “circus” in court. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman stated that Abston received what is “effectively a life sentence.”

Ganguli stated that he intends to appeal the conviction and would file a motion for a fresh trial.

“We had a strong defense,” Ganguli told reporters outside the courtroom Friday. “I do not believe for a second that he raped or kidnapped or had a gun, that he put a gun to that woman.”

Abston was not charged in the 2021 rape case until September 2, 2022, when he was charged with kidnapping Eliza Fletcher from the street when she was jogging before dawn near the University of Memphis, and forcing her into an SUV. Her body was discovered days later outside an empty duplex.

According to investigators, Abston was not arrested on rape charges before Fletcher’s death due to a lengthy delay in processing the sexual assault kit. He’s pled not guilty. Prosecutors said they will seek the death sentence if Abston is found guilty of first-degree murder in Fletcher’s killing. There has been no trial date set in the case.

The shooting of Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, horrified the Memphis community and sparked outpourings of support for her family. A week after her abduction, runners in Memphis and numerous other cities performed early-morning runs in her honor. Last year, a second run was held to honor Fletcher.

Abston, also known as Cleotha Henderson, was arrested when police discovered his DNA on sandals near the spot where Fletcher was last seen, according to an arrest document. An autopsy revealed that Fletcher died from a gunshot wound to the head. She also had injuries to her right leg and a jaw fracture.

Following Fletcher’s murder, the legislature passed legislation requiring the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to publish a quarterly report on sexual assault kit testing timelines.

The rape victim in the 2021 case sued the city of Memphis, alleging that the Memphis Police Department failed to adequately investigate her case, but the complaint was dismissed by a judge.