TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Aug 7, 2025

Defense attorney Juni Ganguli on Tuesday argued before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals that the judge in Cleotha Abston's 2024 rape trial erred by allowing jurors to see a photo of a gun allegedly used in the crime, despite the victim’s vague description of it. According to the Daily Memphian, Ganguli claimed the gun’s admission and a witness’s reference to Abston’s later murder of Eliza Fletcher unfairly prejudiced the jury. Ganguli also criticized police for not preserving text messages between Abston and the rape victim, though judges pushed back noting Abston also had access to them. The state argued the evidence against Abston was overwhelming. Abston was sentenced to 80 years in prison for three charges related to the 2021 rape of Alicia Franklin.