Third suspect arrested in death of Tasia Fortune in Mississippi; police say hanging was staged
A third man has been arrested in Mississippi in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, after investigators concluded the scene where she was found hanging had been staged.
Police in Jackson, Mississippi, announced the arrest of a third suspect, 45-year-old Eric Clark, in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune. Clark surrendered to authorities on Friday and was charged with murder, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
Investigators disclosed Friday that an autopsy review determined the scene where Fortune's body was found hanging, along with the hanging itself, had been staged. Authorities have not released details about the circumstances of her killing or the basis for their conclusion that the scene was faked.
Clark's arrest follows charges against two other men, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr and Jarques Ratliff, who were previously charged with murder in the case. The killing drew national attention due to its severity and Mississippi's history of racist violence and lynchings. Clark, Lloyd Jr, Ratliff and Fortune are all Black.
A Jackson police department news release said the robbery-homicide division would continue investigating until everyone believed to be involved is held accountable.
Fortune, a mother of four, was found on 3 August hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in western Jackson. Investigators have said she was killed elsewhere before her body was placed in the tree. A JPD detective, Samuel Dukes, previously told a court that investigators believe Fortune had been dead for two to three days before she was discovered.
Police have said detectives interviewed as many as 15 people but have released few other details. Local station WLBT reported an alleged physical altercation between Lloyd and Fortune shortly before her death, and that Lloyd was accused of using a black cable cord to hang her. Ratliff and Lloyd have reportedly pleaded not guilty, and both have been denied bond. Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, has said she is certain her daughter did not take her own life.
