Cleotha Abston, charged with the 2022 kidnapping and murder of kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole.

Fletcher, a mother of two, was abducted during a run near the University of Memphis and later found dead.

Abston, previously imprisoned for kidnapping and sentenced in a separate rape case, was identified through surveillance and forensic evidence, NBC News has reported.

Fletcher’s family condemned Abston’s actions, describing their grief over her loss, while his lawyer advised him to accept the plea deal instead of proceeding to trial.

Written by B.C. Begley