Murder suspect Jarques Ratliff denied bond in Tasia Fortune hanging case, Mississippi
Jarques Ratliff, 51, pleaded not guilty and was denied bond after being charged with murdering Tasia Fortune, found hanging in Jackson, Mississippi.
Suspect denied bond in Tasia Fortune murder case in Jackson, Mississippi
A 51-year-old man charged with the murder of Tasia Fortune appeared in Jackson Municipal Court on Monday and was denied bond, CNN reports. Jarques Ratliff pleaded not guilty at the hearing, his attorney Toney Baldwin confirmed.
Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned house in Jackson, Mississippi, on 3 August. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide last Thursday, after which the Jackson Police Department formally charged Ratliff with murder.
Ratliff is accused of using a black cable cord to hang Fortune from the tree, according to an affidavit cited by CNN affiliate WAPT. His next court appearance is scheduled for 25 September.
"It's just a mere accusation. It's not a conviction," Baldwin said. "We look forward to presenting the whole truth, and I think upon a thorough investigation of this case, the truth will prevail."
How the arrest came about
Jackson police announced the murder charge against Ratliff on Friday following the medical examiner's ruling. Officers spotted Ratliff leaving a convenience store while executing search warrants at two separate locations that same day, and arrested him as he was walking down the street.
"It was completely happenstance," Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said. Investigators and SWAT team members assisting with the search warrants supported the arrest. Ratliff did not resist, Brackney added: "We had quite a show of officers."
Police interviewed nearly 15 people in the course of the investigation, and it "became more and more apparent" that Ratliff — who was already known to the Jackson Police Department — had a connection to Fortune, Brackney said. The precise nature of that relationship has not been disclosed publicly. Brackney described it as an association, saying "the manner and the nature of that association" would emerge through court proceedings and the continuing investigation.
Brackney explained the timeline leading to the arrest: "One of the delays is you cannot get a warrant for homicide until the medical examiner gives us an exact cause of death."
Jackson police have said additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
Family and community demand answers
Fortune's death has drawn sustained public attention, particularly because two other people were found hanging from trees in Mississippi within the same year — deaths that were ultimately ruled suicides.
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, told ABC News she had last seen her daughter on 26 July in Kentucky at a family reunion. "She did not do this to herself," Spivey said. "I know my daughter, and she did not do this to herself."
Brackney has been deliberate in the language used publicly to describe Fortune's condition when found. "We don't want to speculate, and we don't want to add fuel to the fire of these incidents in which other people have said that she was found hung," Brackney said. She noted that Fortune's body was discovered in "various states of decomposition," but declined to provide a time frame for how long the body had been there before authorities responded.
Investigators are examining multiple factors to determine exactly how Fortune was killed, Brackney said, including fibre collection and the position of tree limbs.
Jackson City Councillor Kenneth Stokes wrote a letter in August to Mississippi US Attorney Baxter Kruger requesting federal assistance in the case. Mayor John Horhn, speaking previously to CNN affiliate WAPT, acknowledged the public unease: "People are upset about it. Quite naturally, they should be. This is something that's a very disturbing situation and case in our city, in our state. But we're not going to jump to conclusions."
When asked whether Fortune's death is connected to the other hanging deaths in Mississippi, Brackney said: "I would not make that determination. That would be a determination that the FBI would make."
Who Tasia Fortune was
Fortune had lived in Jackson for the past ten years. She is survived by four young children — Davion, 7, Terence Jr., 5, Tristian, 4, and Donte', 1 — along with her parents and extended family.
Born in Kentucky, where she was also laid to rest, Fortune was described in her obituary as an intelligent young woman who skipped her junior year of high school and excelled as a cross-country athlete. Her mother told The Associated Press that Fortune had faced homelessness in recent years, but that she lived with a resilient spirit and a dedicated faith.
A memorial of pink and white flowers, rainbow pinwheels and teddy bears has been erected at the abandoned property where she was found, surrounding her photograph.
Fortune's story has prompted an outpouring from strangers across the country, as her family and community continue to seek both justice and answers.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)