Eliza Fletcher, the 34-year-old mother of two boys who was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee this month, “would be alive today” if her accused killer had been locked up in jail for a prior rape he allegedly committed, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) says.
Weeks ago, Fletcher, a kindergarten teacher, was abducted while jogging around the University of Memphis campus. Her body was discovered days later, approximately 7.5 miles away from where she was abducted.
Career criminal and convicted felon Cleotha Abston, 38 years old, has been charged with kidnapping and murdering Fletcher.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Blackburn said Fletcher would never have been murdered if Tennessee officials had not taken nearly a year to process a rape kit taken from Abston’s alleged victim in a September 2021 incident.
“Eliza Fletcher, a mother of two young boys [and] an elementary school teacher, was senselessly murdered while on a morning run,” Blackburn said:
In September 2021, her alleged killer raped an innocent victim. It took a year for Memphis Police to receive the results and have the rape kit processed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. [Emphasis added]
Tragically, the rape kit was returned the same day that Fletcher’s body was discovered with DNA allegedly matching that of Fletcher’s killer. Had it not taken so long, Eliza Fletcher would be alive today and her killer would be behind bars. [Emphasis added]
Blackburn and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) are introducing the Restoring Law and Order Act which, among other things, would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate prolonged wait times for DNA tests and rape kits that keep police from quickly arresting suspects.
“Why is it taking so long to get these processed when it is a violent crime? Why does it take so long to get these returned to law enforcement so that they are able to apprehend these criminals?” Blackburn asked.
Abston has an extensive criminal record dating back to 1995 when he was just 12 years old. Abston appeared in court on criminal charges in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 for “theft, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, and rape,” according to court documents via the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
In 2000, then-16-year-old Abston abducted Memphis-based lawyer Kemper Durand at gunpoint and forced him into the back trunk of a vehicle with accomplice Marquette Cobbins.
As Durand was brought to a Mapco gas station, he was ordered by Abston to withdraw money from an ATM. At the same time, an armed Memphis Housing Authority guard walked into the station, prompting Durand to yell for help.
The two kidnappers ran away but were both later taken into custody and subsequently convicted of Durand’s kidnapping. During the trial, Durand told the court that Abston was the main instigator of the kidnapping, and that Cobbins pleaded with him to let the lawyer go.
The judge gave Cobbins a lighter sentence of seven and a half years in prison, and he was eligible for parole 18 months later. Abston received a sentence of 24 years in prison in 2000 but was released early from prison on parole after serving 20 years of his 24-year sentence.
Fletcher had two young boys with her husband Richie. She is the granddaughter of Joseph Orgill III, the founder of Orgill Inc., a billion-dollar hardware company.
Fletcher also was a teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, an all-girls academy, where she taught kindergarteners.
Abston remains in police custody without bail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.