**Tennessee Man Sentenced to Life for Kidnapping and Murder of Memphis Teacher**

A Tennessee man, Cleotha Abston, has admitted to the kidnapping and subsequent murder of a Memphis school teacher, Eliza Fletcher. Abston entered guilty pleas to charges of first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping, which led to a life sentence without parole.

During the court proceedings, Abston, who has also been known by the last name Henderson, showed no visible reaction as he pleaded guilty before Judge Lee Coffee, according to CBS affiliate WREG-TV. The 40-year-old initially faced a trial set for February, with prosecutors aiming for the death penalty if he was found guilty of first-degree murder.

The tragic incident occurred on Sept. 2, 2022, when Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, was abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis. She was forced into an SUV, and her body was discovered days later near a vacant duplex. Fletcher's death shocked the Memphis community, prompting widespread support for her family and leading to early morning running events in her memory, a tradition that persists on the anniversary of her abduction.

Abston was apprehended after police found his DNA on sandals near the location where Fletcher was last seen. An autopsy revealed she died from a gunshot wound to the head and also suffered injuries to her right leg and jaw fractures.

Abston's criminal history includes multiple charges dating back to his juvenile years in the 1990s. Recently, on May 17, he was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the rape of a woman in September 2021, a crime he was convicted of committing while holding the victim at gunpoint. The delay in processing the sexual assault kit meant he wasn't charged until after Fletcher's murder in 2022. This led to legislative changes in Tennessee, mandating quarterly reports on sexual assault kit testing times from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

In court, District Attorney Steve Mulroy read a statement from Fletcher's family directed at Abston. Juni Ganguli, Abston's lawyer, commented that they had been advising him to settle the case, doubting the likelihood of a favorable outcome in a trial.