Suspect in Eliza Fletcher murder faces unrelated abduction, rape, theft charges
Senior correspondent Laura Ingle reports the latest on the developments.
A pair of advocacy groups are urging Tennessee state officials to appoint a special investigator to probe how slain Memphis jogger Eliza Fletcher’s accused murderer was free despite having been linked to a rape from a year earlier.
People for the Enforcement of Rape Laws (PERL) and Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) sent a joint letter to Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, asking that they enlist a special investigator "to examine all of the government’s failings that gave Ms. Fletcher’s alleged killer the opportunity to commit this crime."
"Ultimately, the failure to test the 2021 rape kit in a timely manner and to arrest and charge Mr. [Henderson] allowed him to roam free until he allegedly killed Ms. Fletcher."
Spokespersons for Lee's and Skrmetti's offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request seeking comment.
Fletcher, a 34-year-old married mother of two, was jogging near the University of Memphis around 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 2 when Cleotha Henderson allegedly violently abducted and killed her, authorities have said.
Police said that Fletcher was "abducted and forced into" a GMC Terrain. They also said a nearby surveillance camera captured the same GMC Terrain within the area of the abduction 24 minutes prior to Fletcher being taken.
Fletcher's body was found on Sept. 5 around 5:07 p.m. in the "rear of a vacant duplex apartment."
Henderson was charged with first-degree murder and premeditated murder, among several others, for Fletcher’s abduction and death. But records show he was no stranger to the criminal justice system.
Henderson was later charged on Sept. 8 with aggravated rape and kidnapping for an alleged sexual assault from September 2021. An indictment obtained by Fox News Digital describes how Henderson forced himself on a woman on Sept. 21, 2021, "while armed with a weapon. He was also charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Henderson’s DNA was linked to the alleged rape just days after his alleged attack on Fletcher.
Additionally, during a September court appearance, a Shelby County court judge called him a "repeat violent offender."
Months later, the advocacy groups are seeking answers as to why it took investigators so long to charge Henderson with the 2021 sexual assault.
"We understand that authorities submitted the rape kit from that case in a timely manner, but it was not tested until shortly after Ms. Fletcher was killed nearly a year later," the letter states. "Why wasn’t the kit tested sooner? Who was responsible for the delay?"
The letter goes on to ask why investigators did not analyze and use other evidence they had been given connecting Henderson to the 2021 rape. It notes that there "might be compelling reasons why the police did not act," but the public deserves answers.
Eliza Fletcher is from a prominent Memphis family, the granddaughter of a well-known philanthropist and business owner. Liza Fletcher/Instagram (Liza Fletcher/Instagram)
"Ultimately, the failure to test the 2021 rape kit in a timely manner and to arrest and charge Mr. [Henderson] allowed him to roam free until he allegedly killed Ms. Fletcher," the letter states. "We think an investigation into this grave lapse must take place if state leaders truly want to prevent future tragedies."
ELIZA FLETCHER MURDER: MEMPHIS POLICE SUED FOR HANDLING OF SUSPECT IN PRIOR RAPE CHARGE
The letter also questions why Henderson was released from a previous prison sentence two years early. The Department of Correction awarded him over 1,000 days of "good time credit, despite the fact that he apparently committed 53 disciplinary infractions while incarcerated, including several instances of possessing a deadly weapon and 19 cases of indecent exposure," the letter continues.
The groups write that the decision to release Henderson from prison "is another reason why he was free and able to allegedly kill Ms. Fletcher."
"Did the Deparment (sic) of Corrections make a mistake in awarding Mr. [Henderson] those time credits? Or was the Department prohibited under current law from taking back any credits he had earned?" the letter asks. "Was the Department concerned about releasing Mr. [Henderson], given his disciplinary record, and if so, did they share those concerns with state prosecutors? Why did prosecutors not criminally charge Mr. [Henderson] for any incidents in which he was found to be guilty of possessing a deadly weapon?"
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The letter was signed by FAMM policy associate Matthew Charles and PERL executive director Meaghan Ybos.
Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
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