Cleotha Abston was convicted of raping a man when he was a teenager – almost three decades before he allegedly kidnapped and murdered Memphis business heiress Eliza Fletcher.
Now 38, Abston was just 14 years old when he committed a juvenile delinquent act of rape against an unnamed male, according to court documents.
Abston appeared in Shelby County Circuit Court on Wednesday morning for arraignment on first degree murder charges, where he asked that he be known by his paternal surname of Henderson.
Judge Louis Montesi revoked his bond, and ordered another hearing on Thursday.
Fletcher, a 34-year-old mother of two and granddaughter of billionaire Joseph Orgill III, was violently abducted while out jogging near the University of Memphis campus and forced into an SUV at 4am on Friday.
Her family released a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying that they are “heartbroken and devastated” by her murder.
“We are grateful beyond measure to local, state and federal law enforcement for their tireless efforts to find Liza and to bring justice to the person responsible for this horrible crime,” the statement continued.
