The mother of a Tennesee man accused of killing Memphis mom, Eliza Fletcher, reportedly claimed that the suspect is a “good person” being railroaded for murder.
In an interview with DailyMail, 65-year-old Virgie said she doesn’t believe her son, Cleotha Abston, 38, killed Fletcher, a beloved school teacher found deceased earlier this month near a vacant home in Memphis.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, an affidavit stated that Memphis police spotted vehicle tracks in tall grass which led to a vacant residence. Officers combing the area noticed footprints and “an odor of decay” before locating a deceased woman who was ultimately identified as Fletcher, 34, next to the steps near a driveway, according to WREG.
A pair of purple Lululemon running shorts which matched what Fletcher was last seen wearing was found in a nearby trash can. The trash can was located about 100 feet from the residence that Abston had been at with his brother.
Abston was ultimately arrested and charged with Fletcher’s murder.
“I talked to him and he said he didn’t do it,” Virgie told DailyMail. “He said [to me], ‘They’re trying to put me in some stuff, mom.'”
“I believe him. I don’t believe he did it. If it comes out of his mouth, that’s what I believe. He’s just a good person, kind, lovable.”
Along with Fletcher’s murder, Abston has also been charged in connection with a 2021 rape case.
Abston has been charged with first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence in the Fletcher case, along with aggravated rape, especially aggravated kidnapping, and a gun charge in the 2021 case.
“I don’t know why they do what they do,” Virgie added, referring to police and how they allegedly “railroaded” her son in a 2000 kidnapping conviction that sent him to prison for 20 years.
“I don’t deal with the police. I don’t deal with the police, period…He left me when he was 16. They took 20 years of my son’s life. They need to fix that prison [system].”
He remains jailed.
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[Featured image: Eliza Fletcher & Husband/Facebook]
