New arrests and allegations have been made during the investigation into the disturbing death of Tasia Fortune. Authorities now say the 29-year-old mother of four was killed elsewhere before her body was deliberately hung from a tree in a “staged” scene.
Three men now face murder charges in connection with Fortune’s death after her body was discovered Aug. 3 behind a vacant home in Jackson, Mississippi.
Third Suspect Turns Himself In As Police Investigation Continues
According to People, the Jackson Police Department announced Sept. 25 that Eric Clark, 45, became the third person charged with murder in connection with Fortune’s death after he turned himself in. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28.
“The Jackson Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division will continue its investigation until all individuals believed to be involved are held accountable for their actions in connection with Ms. Fortune’s death,” police said in a news release obtained by People.
Clark’s arrest follows murder charges against Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, and Jarques “Jock” Ratliff, 51. According to People, police arrested Ratliff on Sept. 11, while Lloyd was taken into custody days before Clark.
Previously reported by BOSSIP, the medical examiner’s office determined Fortune’s death was a homicide and said the scene where her body was discovered appeared “staged.”
Police believe the killing may have stemmed from a drug dispute as investigators continue working to determine the circumstances surrounding Fortune’s death.
Detective Says Fortune Was Killed Elsewhere Before ‘Staged’ Hanging
In HuffPost, Jackson Police Department Detective Samuel Dukes testified during an evidentiary hearing that investigators believe Fortune was killed in a different location following a dispute involving “missing illegal narcotics.”
Dukes also testified that authorities believe Fortune had been dead for two to three days before her body was discovered.
HuffPost cited WLBT, stating investigators believe Lloyd used a black cable cord to hang Fortune’s body from the tree behind the Jackson home where she was eventually found.
According to HuffPost, citing the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, reported that Dukes testified that Fortune and Ratliff were friends who were “intimate with each other.”
Ratliff’s attorney, Toney Baldwin, has maintained his client’s innocence.
“My client said he’s not involved and that’s absolutely what I believe,” Baldwin said, according to HuffPost.
Baldwin also said he wants the “truth about what happened to come out.”
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, expressed concern about the arrests following the hearing.
“I just hope they have the right people,” Spivey said, according to HuffPost.
Fortune’s aunt, Etta Avolio, remembered her niece in an ongoing GoFundMe campaign as a “strong-minded, big-hearted, vibrant young woman.”
“The family also wants others to know that justice will be served, and they hold firmly to their faith, believing that God is on their side as they walk through this heartbreaking loss,” Avolio wrote, according to HuffPost.
Police Initially Stopped Short Of Saying Fortune Died By Hanging
Previously reported by NewsOne, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced during a Jackson City Council meeting that Lloyd had been arrested and charged with murder for his alleged role in Fortune’s death.
At the time, police were still searching for a third suspect and had turned an arrest warrant over to the U.S. Marshals for service. That third suspect was later identified as Clark.
Brackney was particularly careful about how police characterized Fortune’s death while the investigation remained active.
“Tasia Fortune was found in a hanging position, and I need to stay with that language to not jeopardize this case,” Brackney said, according to NewsOne, citing WLBT.
NewsOne also reports that another man, described as an alleged former boyfriend, had previously been identified as a person of interest. According to the outlet, citing WLBT, the man was arrested days after Fortune’s body was discovered on an unrelated felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm charge but had not been charged in her death.
Detectives said the man admitted arguing with Fortune but denied involvement in her death, according to NewsOne. Police said the two had been in a relationship, which the man denied.
In NewsOne, Fortune’s mother told CNN that she last saw her daughter July 26 during a family reunion in Kentucky.
“She did not do this to herself,” Spivey said.
Fortune’s death drew national attention as images of a Black woman found hanging from a tree evoked the country’s history of racial terror and lynching, particularly in Mississippi. NewsOne cites NBC and NAACP figures showing 581 recorded lynchings in Mississippi between 1882 and 1968.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the murder charges against Clark, Lloyd and Ratliff are allegations. Ratliff has pleaded not guilty.
