Jackson man denied bond in murder of Tasia Fortune, found hanging from tree
Jarques Ratliff, 51, pleaded not guilty to murder in a Jackson court and was denied bond. Police say more arrests are expected in the case.
Jackson suspect held without bond in Tasia Fortune murder case
Jarques Ratliff, 51, was denied bond on Monday after pleading not guilty to murder charges in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi, last month. NBC News reports that Ratliff made his first court appearance in Jackson Municipal Court wearing a red jumpsuit.
His attorney, Toney Baldwin, argued that Ratliff was not a flight risk and was "gainfully employed," but Judge Taurean Buchanan ordered him held without bond. A law enforcement official present at the hearing described Ratliff as "a danger to the citizens of Jackson."
Jackson police said Ratliff had an "association" with Fortune and arrested him on Friday. Officers had served two search warrants earlier that day but did not find Ratliff at the targeted location. As they returned to headquarters, they encountered him walking down the street and took him into custody.
Police Chief RaShall Brackney called the arrest "an important development," but said it is "not the conclusion." She confirmed that additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
"This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads," Brackney said. "Tasia and her children deserve nothing less."
Fortune's cause of death and a motive have not been released. Her body was discovered on 3 August, and authorities classified her death as a homicide on the following Thursday.
Fortune was originally from Kentucky but had lived in Jackson for the past ten years, according to her obituary. She was a mother of four children and was remembered as an "intelligent and talented" woman who had competed in cross-country athletics in her younger years.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, told The Associated Press that she cried upon learning of Ratliff's arrest. Spivey said she did not know Ratliff and that the family is "in disbelief" and "still don't have a lot of answers."
Baldwin, Ratliff's attorney, urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions. "A charge is just merely an accusation… It's not a conviction," he told reporters outside the courthouse. "We look forward to having our day where we present the full picture."
A separate figure has also been connected to the case. Terence Anderson, 65 — the father of Fortune's 5-year-old son — was arrested last month on an unrelated weapons charge and was identified as a person of interest in her death, according to NBC affiliate WLBT. His brother, Tony Anderson, told NBC News on Monday that Terence remains in custody but said he does not believe his brother is still considered a person of interest.
"This just about ruined his life. He hasn't been able to work; people thinking you done it," Tony Anderson said. "His little son worried about him… It's just messed up all the way around."
The case drew national attention in part because of Mississippi's history of racially motivated violence and longstanding concerns about how law enforcement handles death investigations involving Black victims. Fortune's death prompted comparisons to that of Demartravion "Trey" Reed, a Black college student found hanging from a tree in Mississippi last year.
Democratic Congresswomen Yvette Clarke of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and several colleagues wrote to the Justice Department and the FBI requesting a "thorough, transparent, and comprehensive" investigation into what they described as "the numerous incidents of Black people found hanging across the country."
"Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity. This is part of the legacy of racial terror in the United States, and this neglect has long-term consequences," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. "Not only are innocent lives lost, but lynching inflicts deep traumatic and psychological wounds on family members, neighbors, and the entire Black community."
Jackson police and the Hinds County District Attorney's Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)