A judge in Memphis on Wednesday revoked the bond for Cleotha Abston, the man charged in the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher, at his arraignment on a first-degree murder charge.
Abston, 38, was being held on $500,000 bond since his arrest over the weekend on charges of especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
Police found Fletcher’s body Monday evening less than a mile from where the man charged with abducting her is said to have cleaned an SUV used in the kidnapping. The body, however, was not confirmed to be Fletcher until Tuesday morning.
First-degree murder was added after investigators confirmed the body’s identity, so Abston’s arraignment was carried over in Wednesday for the additional charge.
His arrest came roughly 12 hours after police announced they had found the GMC Terrain they believe was used in Fletcher’s abduction early Friday morning as she jogged through the University of Memphis campus.
Fletcher, 34, was a teacher and mother of two.
Fletcher’s family sat in the front row of the gallery during Wednesday’s hearing. Abston did not look at them, instead aiming his gaze at the floor as he entered and left the courtroom.
An updated affidavit released Tuesday afternoon detailed how law enforcement found Fletcher’s remains in tall grass at a vacant house.
After finding the body, investigators spread out to search the remaining area, finding a trash bag with “purple lululemon running shorts that were consistent with the ones Eliza Fletcher was last seen wearing.”
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The bag was found about a quarter mile away from where investigators located her body.
Abston, who was released from prison in 2020 after serving two decades for the kidnapping of Memphis-based lawyer Kemper Durand, refused to tell law enforcement Fletcher’s location as of Sunday, police said.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said Tuesday investigators had not gotten much information from Abston, but said law enforcement is still working with him.
Abston will next appear in court Thursday, which will be another continuation of his arraignment, which began Tuesday morning. The initial appearances stretched into Wednesday’s docket after Fletcher’s body was found, adding a first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of a kidnapping charges.
Wednesday’s appearance was delayed almost 40 minutes due to the prosecution and defense speaking to Judge Louis Montesi. The defense filed a motion concerning representation, but Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy could not comment further about the sealed motion.
Lucas Finton is a breaking news reporter with the Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.