Eliza Fletcher murder suspect faces new charges in 2021 rape, kidnapping case
Fox News senior correspondent Laura Ingle reports on the backlog of unprocessed rape kits in Memphis, where officials are under scrutiny in the wake of Eliza Fletcher's death.
Cleotha Henderson, the man accused of killing Eliza Fletcher in Memphis, Tennessee in September 2022 after allegedly kidnapping her, has pleaded not guilty.
Henderson, 38, also known by Cleotha Abston, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence on Jan. 25, according to the Commercial Appeal.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Friday morning.
Fletcher was allegedly abducted by Henderson, who was driving a GMC terrain at the time, on the morning of Sept. 2, 2022. Police say that she was "abducted and forced into" the SUV.
Eliza Fletcher in an undated photograph; Accused killer Cleotha Henderson in Memphis court (Liza Fletcher/Instagram; Fox News Digital)
Henderson was arrested by Memphis police on Sept. 3, 2022, and Fletcher's body was found in the "rear of a vacant duplex apartment" just days later in the area where the suspect was seen allegedly cleaning out the car he allegedly used in the incident.
An affidavit states that two people, including Henderson's brother, Mario, told police officers that they had seen Henderson cleaning the interior of the GMC Terrain with floor cleaner and washing clothes in the sink.
Liza Fletcher, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of two who was killed during her morning jog last week, will be laid to rest Saturday. (Jennifer Sink/Facebook, Memphis Police)
A Memphis Police Department public information officer also told Fox News Digital that its criminal investigative unit took a sexual assault report on Sept. 21, 2021, and a sexual assault kit was submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Sept. 23, 2021.
However, the public information officer said that a DNA hit on Henderson wasn't received until after the alleged kidnapping and murder of Fletcher on Sept. 2, which gave police probable cause to make an arrest.
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Tire tracks approaching the house where the body of the house where the body of Eliza Fletcher was found (Michael Ruiz for Fox News Digital)
According to the report, Henderson is due back in court on March 30.
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