FIRST ON FOX: Memphis murder suspect Cleotha Henderson, the 38-year-old ex-con accused of kidnapping and killing local teacher and mother of two Eliza Fletcher during her morning jog on Sept. 2, has been charged with rape, kidnapping and felony firearm charges in connection with a second sexual assault. It happened nearly a year ago, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. “Cleotha Abston AKA Cleotha Henderson On September 21, 2021, in Shelby County, Tennessee, and prior to the finding of this indictment, unlawfully and intentionally, knowingly or recklessly, trespassed. [the victim] using force or coercion, while armed with a weapon,” the indictment states. Fox News Digital chose not to use the victim’s name because she is the victim of an alleged sexual assault. ELIZA FLETCHER CHASED Murder Suspect on ‘Unrelated’ Kidnapping and Rape Charges Murder suspect Cleotha Abston appears in court at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center in Memphis, Tennessee, Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Abston is accused of killing Memphis mother of two, Eliza Fletcher. Represented by Board Appointee, Jennifer Case. He has been ordered held without bail by Judge Louis Montesi. (Credit: Matt Symons for Fox News Digital) A Memphis police spokesman told Fox News Digital Friday that the new charges are unrelated to the attack on Fletcher, a 34-year-old woman he allegedly kidnapped during her morning jog on Sept. 2. Her remains were later found behind a vacant house. Separately, city police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told Fox News that a 2021 entry in the federal government’s DNA Combined Index System matched evidence collected in connection with the Fletcher attack, linking Henderson to the second case victim. He was charged Sept. 8, documents show. READ THE COMPLAINT: ELIZA FLETCHER’S SUSPECTED KILLER CLEOTHA HENDERSON SERVED 20 YEARS OF CRIMINAL 24-YEAR-OLD, HERE’S WHY Henderson, also known as Cleotha Abston, served 20 years in prison for another armed kidnapping in 2000, after he grabbed a prominent local attorney named Keber Durand at gunpoint and drove him around Memphis to various ATMs, forcing him to withdraw cash. The suspect was 16 at the time, and had already been charged as a juvenile five times for aggravated assault and was found responsible for another rape case when he was just 14. Authorities have offered a $50,000 reward to help find a mother who was kidnapped while jogging. (Memphis Police Department/ TBI) Durant pleaded not guilty and asked for the maximum sentence against Henderson in a victim impact statement. The lawyer died in 2013. Henderson was released in November 2020. Left: Eliza Fletcher in a photo released by Memphis police. Right: Cleotha Abston appears in court for her arraignment Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. (Memphis Police Department, Adam Sabes/Fox News Digital) (Memphis Police Department, Adam Sabes/Fox News Digital) ELIZA FLETCHER KIDNAPPING: A TIMELINE OF THE MEMPHIS TEACHER’S DISAPPEARANCE On September 21, 2021, he allegedly kidnapped the other woman at gunpoint and then sexually assaulted her. Murder suspect Cleotha Abston Henderson confers with defense attorney Jennifer Case in court at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center in Memphis, Tennessee, Wednesday, September 7, 2022. She was ordered held without bail by Judge Louis Montesi. (Matt Simons for Fox News Digital) Henderson is due back in court Monday at 9 a.m. CT. He is already being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. At 38, Henderson has spent more than half his life in a Tennessee prison. If he hadn’t been released early because of a reduced sentence, he would have been behind bars during both the attacks on Fletcher and the other woman. Jennifer Case, the Memphis public defender assigned to Henderson’s defense, asked for a gag order, noting in her argument that Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis had called her client a “dangerous predator.” Prosecutors, however, argued that the public should continue to be informed about this case. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Laura Ingle and Adam Sabes of Fox News contributed to this report. Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @mikerreports
