Cleotha Abston agrees to 80-year sentence in Alicia Franklin rape, kidnapping
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cleotha Abston, the man convicted of kidnapping and raping Alicia Franklin in 2021, agreed to the maximum sentence offered by the judge Friday.
Judge Lee Coffee issued the following sentences: 20 years for Aggravated Kidnapping, 40 years for Aggravated Rape, and 20 years for Unlawful Weapon.
Cleotha Abston’s rape trial begins
Friday morning, Abston waived his right to a formal sentence hearing and agreed to serve a total of 80 years consecutively.
Though Franklin was raped at gunpoint in September 2021, Abston was not arrested until the death of Eliza Fletcher a year later.
For the first time, several revelations were made including Abston’s run-ins with the law dating back to 1995, when he was just 12 years old. The judge didn’t say what the pre-teen was detained for, only saying it was a serious offense.
“It’s sad that it took the death of Eliza Fletcher to really bring this thing to attention. When Franklin was telling her story people weren’t paying attention,” said Representative Antonio Parkinson.
Also revealed today, are the dozens of write-ups Abston has received, while in custody.
“Tested positive on another occasion of drugs while in custody, refusing direct orders, uhh one, two, three, four, five incidents of indecent exposure, strong-armed robbery,” said Judge Lee Coffee.
The judge said there were more than 30 infractions in which Abston has been in trouble for.
“The transgressions that the judge described tonight to justify the acceptance of the plea were related to prior sentences, so it has nothing to do with his behavior right now,” said Lauren Pasley, Defense Attorney.
While in court, Abston sat seemingly unbothered – looking down and even playing with his fingers as the judge reminded him why for the next 80 years he would be confined.
“When this defendant placed a gun to her face, to her neck and told her quote ‘BLEEP’ if you say anything or move, I will kill you.’ This is especially troubling,” Judge Coffee said.
The latest on the abduction and murder of Memphis jogger and teacher Eliza Fletcher
After Fletcher’s death, the Legislature passed a law requiring the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue a quarterly report on sexual assault kit testing times.
In the last year, the District Attorney’s office has also instituted a new program to get violent offenders off the street.
“This kidnapping and rape of Alicia Franklin, and this next case regarding Mr. Abston, sort of highlights that. We are going to do whatever we can do, for public safety and to protect people,” said Paul Hagerman, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney.
Back in 2010, WREG exposed a massive backlog of 12,000 sexual assault kits which allowed rapists to walk free.
As for Franklin, Memphis Police didn’t request for her rape kit evidence to be expedited, so it sat on the shelf for nearly nine months before the lab could get to it.
“There was no national attention or regional attention or local attention to Franklin,” Parkinson said. “Had that same equal attention been given to her then Fletcher would prob still be with her children today.”
As this case ends, prosecutors say they are seeking the death penalty in Eliza Flecher’s case.
When Cleotha Abston returns to court in June, it will be to file a motion for a new trial in the rape case he was found guilty of and as a report date for the kidnapping and murder charge in the case of Eliza Fletcher.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
