The man who snatched and murdered heiress, beloved kindergarten teacher and mother of two Eliza Fletcher as she jogged in Memphis in 2022 pleaded guilty on Monday and was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Cleotha Abston, 40, was slated for a February trial at which prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty. He instead pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, evidence tampering and other charges, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said.
Fletcher, 34, disappeared on Sept. 2, 2022, during her habitual early-morning jog near the University of Memphis. After a days-long intensive search her body was found dumped near a vacant duplex 7 miles from where she’d last been seen.
Surveillance footage showed Fletcher being forced into a black 2013 GMC Terrain SUV driven by someone later identified as Abston. The footage showed him chasing and struggling with her before shoving her into the vehicle. He was arrested even before her body was found after police discovered his DNA on a pair of Champion slide sandals found near her damaged cell phone. An autopsy revealed she’d died of a gunshot wound to the head.
“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,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said in a statement. “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.”
Mulroy read a statement on behalf of the family, directed to Abston, during the sentencing.
“We have no idea what happened to you to turn you into someone so filled with a desire to hurt people,” Fletcher’s family said. “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.”
Fletcher’s grandfather, Joseph Orgill III, was a chairman of Tennessee-based hardware distributor Orgill Inc., founded by his ancestors in 1847 and with revenue of $4 billion in 2023, according to Forbes.