Eliza Fletcher: Suspect in kidnapping and death of Memphis teacher, held without bond

Shelby County Judge Louis J. Montesi Jr. on Wednesday revoked a $500,000 bond that was set earlier — when Henderson was charged in the case solely with kidnapping and tampering with evidence — and said a full bail hearing would take place later.

Montesi then adjourned the hearing and said it would resume on Thursday, when the judge said he would hear a defense motion regarding Henderson’s representation. Montesi did not elaborate on the motion.

After Wednesday’s proceedings, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy deflected a reporter’s question about what sentence he would pursue if Henderson was found guilty. A conviction for first degree murder carries sentences of life imprisonment with or without parole, or the death penalty.

“It is premature for us to discuss now what punishment we are going to seek,” Mulroy said outside the courtroom.

Fletcher’s disappearance sparked an intense chase – backed by surveillance video which police say showed her being forced into an SUV early Friday while jogging – which led to the arrest of Fletcher. Henderson near his home in Memphis on Saturday.

Fletcher’s body was found near a vacant duplex on Monday and was publicly identified on Tuesday, authorities said.

The teacher’s death, which authorities say was violent, has reverberated through the Tennessee town and is still surrounded by questions about where and how she was killed – and why.

Still, investigators “have no reason to believe this was anything other than an isolated attack by a stranger,” Mulroy told reporters on Tuesday.

As the investigation unfolds, the Fletcher community mourns the kindergarten teacher and mother of two.

She was “a joy to all who knew her,” her family said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ.

“We are heartbroken and devastated by this senseless loss. Liza was such a joy to so many – her family, friends, colleagues, students, parents, members of her Second Presbyterian Church congregation and all those who knew her,” the statement said. bed.

“Now is the time to remember and celebrate how special she was and to support those who cared so much about her. We appreciate all the expressions of love and concern we have received. We are grateful to the beyond measure to local, state and federal law enforcement for their tireless efforts to find Liza and bring justice to the person responsible for this horrific crime,” Fletcher’s family said.

At St. Mary’s Episcopal School, teachers and staff started the day in the chapel and lit candles in Fletcher’s memory, the school said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

“We are heartbroken over the loss of our beloved teacher, colleague and friend Liza Fletcher,” St. Mary’s Episcopal School said.

More than 1,700 runners signed up to pay their respects on Friday by completing an 8.2-mile course like the one she ran regularly, according to organizers.

“Our goal is to stand up for women in the Mid South and emphasize that women need to be able to run safely at all times of the day,” they wrote on Facebook.

Fletcher was the granddaughter of hardware magnate Joseph Orgill III, who died in 2018 aged 80. Orgill, based in Tennessee, has annual revenue of $3 billion, according to the company.

Henderson, 38, was arraigned on Tuesday on the initial charges – specifically aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence – and at the time was named a public defender to represent him.

How the search for the victim went for four days

Fletcher was jogging in a neighborhood near the University of Memphis around 4 a.m. Friday. Her husband told police Friday morning that she had not returned, authorities said in an affidavit, originally filed Sunday and amended Tuesday.

Someone found his phone on a street that morning, and it was given to one of Fletcher’s relatives, who turned it over to investigators, the affidavit says.

Police then found surveillance video of that area, which shows a black GMC Terrain driving past it, according to the affidavit. A man is seen in the footage getting out of the SUV and “aggressively” running towards her before forcing her into the passenger seat of the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

The SUV remained in a parking lot for about four minutes after the two people got inside and then drove off, the affidavit says.

Police also analyzed a pair of sandals found at the kidnapping site near the victim’s phone. DNA found on the shoes matched Henderson’s DNA, the affidavit states.

Investigators interviewed Henderson’s employer, who said he drove a GMC Terrain and verified his phone number. Investigators checked Henderson’s cellphone records, which showed he was near the abduction scene at the time of Fletcher’s abduction, the affidavit said.

Members of a U.S. Marshals task force found a GMC Terrain near Henderson’s home on Saturday morning – and it had the same damage visible in surveillance footage, and the license plate matched partial information from the plaque gleaned from the video, reads the affidavit.

The task force detained Henderson near his home on Saturday, according to the court document.

Police gathered details from two witnesses – including Henderson’s brother – who said they saw him acting strangely at the Memphis brother’s house after the abduction, according to the affidavit.

The two said Henderson cleaned the interior of the GMC Terrain with floor cleaner and washed his clothes in the house sink, according to the affidavit.

Body found near vacant house; clothes found discarded nearby

On Monday, searchers, acting on information from an FBI team analyzing cellphone data, found Fletcher’s body just after 5 p.m., the affidavit said.

The researchers, using cellphone data, had focused on an area near an intersection less than a mile from the brother’s house. The team smelled a rotting smell coming from an area near a vacant house, saw vehicle tracks in the tall grass near the driveway and eventually found the body on the property, according to the affidavit. .

That property was in the 1600 block of Victor Street, authorities said. It’s about a half-mile drive from the address authorities gave for his brother’s home, 7.5 miles by car from the abduction site, and about 15.5 miles by car from the Henderson’s house.

Just over an hour after the body was found and about three-tenths of a mile away, a detective found a trash bag with purple running shorts – matching those Fletcher was wearing when she was abducted, says the affidavit.

The suspect served time in prison in a previous kidnapping case

Court records also reveal that Henderson previously served time in prison for an aggravated kidnapping more than 20 years ago.

In November 2001, Henderson pleaded guilty to the charge and was released in November 2020, according to court records.

Henderson had been convicted of kidnapping an attorney in 2000, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told local news outlet WREG.

This month, Henderson also faces charges unrelated to Fletcher’s case, including identity theft, theft of property of $1,000 or less and fraudulent use/unlawful possession of a card. credit or debit card of $1,000 or less, according to Shelby County Jail records.

These charges relate to a theft report filed last week by a woman who reported that someone was using her Cash App card and Wisely card at gas stations without her knowledge.

CNN has contacted the Shelby County District Attorney and Memphis police regarding the theft charges.

CNN’s Melissa Alonso, Anne Clifford, Jamiel Lynch, Chuck Johnston, Tina Burnside, Hannah Sarisohn and Jennifer Feldman contributed to this report.