TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 27, 2025

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld Cleotha Abston’s 2024 conviction for raping Memphis woman Alicia Franklin in 2021, The Daily Memphian reports. Abston, who also pleaded guilty to the 2022 murder of schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher, was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the rape. His attorney had appealed, arguing the trial judge erred by allowing the jury to see a photo of the gun Abston used, which was recovered a year later. Judge Steven Sword, writing for the court, said the gun was relevant because each charge required Abston to have a firearm at the time of the crime. Read the appellate court opinion.