Third arrest in Mississippi as police say hanging was staged
A third person has been arrested in Mississippi in the death of Tasia Fortune after police said her hanging was staged. Eric Clark, 45, surrendered and faces a murder charge. Investigators say the 29-year-old mother was killed elsewhere—allegedly in a drug dispute—before her body was placed in a tree in Jackson.
Fortune, a mother of four, was found on 3 August hanging from a tree behind a vacant home on the 500 block of Road of Remembrance in western Jackson. The discovery sparked national attention and fear in the majority-Black city, given Mississippi’s history of racial violence and lynchings. Fortune and the three men charged are all Black.
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Key Takeaways
- Eric Clark, 45, surrendered Friday and was charged with murder; a court appearance was set for Monday.
- Jackson police say an autopsy found Fortune’s hanging scene was staged; she was not killed where her body was found.
- Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, and Jarques Ratliff, 51, were already charged with murder and have pleaded not guilty.
- A detective testified Fortune was killed in a drug-related dispute and fought her attackers before she died.
- Her mother, Christy Spivey, said she still has no cause or date of death and more questions than answers.
What did Mississippi police say about the hanging?
On Friday, the Jackson Police Department said the medical examiner determined Fortune’s death was a homicide and that “the scene and the hanging were staged.” Authorities have not released the exact cause of death or explained why they believe the body was hanged afterward.
Detective Samuel Dukes previously said in court that investigators believe Fortune was killed somewhere else, then placed in a hanging position. He said she had been dead for two to three days before her body was discovered, according to The Guardian.
Police say they have interviewed as many as 15 people and will keep investigating until everyone believed involved is held accountable.
Who has been arrested in the Tasia Fortune case?
Clark’s arrest is the third murder charge tied to Fortune’s death. Ratliff was arrested in mid-September; Lloyd was arrested this week. Both remain jailed without bond after pleading not guilty.
Local station WLBT, cited by The Guardian, reported an alleged altercation between Lloyd and Fortune shortly before her death, and that police accused Lloyd of using a black cable cord to hang her body. In court Friday, Ratliff said he and Fortune were friends. His preliminary hearing on whether the case goes to a grand jury is set to resume 30 September.
Why does Fortune’s mother still have so many questions?
Christy Spivey told the BBC she was briefly relieved when told her daughter did not die by hanging, then said she was “starting to break down” as new details emerged. “I have more questions now than what I did before,” she said, noting police had not said how the suspects were linked to Fortune or why the scene was allegedly staged.
“Still no cause of death, no date of death — nothing,” Spivey said. “What actually killed her?” Outside court, she said she knew her daughter fought for her life. She rejected claims Fortune stole drugs but acknowledged her addiction and said her daughter had been homeless and trying to get better. Fortune’s four sons, ages one to seven, are now with family and friends; two are in the process of being adopted.