Democrats push for policies that set criminals free. Unfortunately, that philosophy has deadly results.
The body of Eliza Fletcher, the billionaire heiress who went missing last Friday, has been found, the Washington Examiner reported. The discovery came after "tire marks" and an "odor of decay" were detected in a grassy area 7.5 miles from where she was abducted.
Fletcher, a 34-year-old teacher and mother, had gone for an early morning run near the University of Memphis. Surveillance footage showed a black SUV waiting for her to pass before a male emerged and stuffed Fletcher into the passenger side of the vehicle.
The man allegedly turned out to be ex-convict Cleotha Abston, 38, who had previously been convicted of armed kidnapping and sentenced to 24 years in prison. However, he was granted early release in 2020.
Abston was arrested over the weekend and charged with Fletcher's murder and slapped with additional charges for tampering with evidence and kidnapping. Surveillance footage and a pair of sandals left near the crime scene with Abston's DNA put him in the area at the time of Fletcher's murder.
Police had also found a trash bag with clothing and personal effects that matched Fletcher's dumped just .3 miles from where her body was found. "The bag contained purple Lululemon running shorts that were consistant with the ones Eliza Fletcher was last seen wearing," the affidavit said.
Though it isn't clear exactly how Fletcher died, it's undeniable that the man charged with her killing should not have been on the streets. Abston had spent the last 20 years in jail after kidnapping an attorney general when he was just 16 years old, the New York Post reported.
By that time, Abston already had a lengthy rap sheet that included a rape he committed when he was just 14. His early arrest came when he was only 11 years old.
Democrats consistently push for criminals to be let out of prisons to make up for systemic injustice. However, the alleged crimes of a man like Abston demonstrate precisely why locking up dangerous people is a vital part of the criminal justice system.
