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A black mother-of-four whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi was already dead by the time she was discovered, according to a detective.
uncertain
she → sign → detective
Police detective Samuel Dukes told Jackson Municipal Court on Friday that the hanging of Tasia Fortune, 29, was 'staged,' the Associated Press reported.
asserted
Press → tell → Fortune
Dukes added that Fortune had been killed over a drug dispute and that she fought her assailants hard before her death.
asserted
she → add → death
The Jackson police detective cited the medical examiner's opinion when he made the revelation about Fortune's death, according to the outlet.
Fortune's body was found on August 3 outside an abandoned home on the 500 block of Road of Remembrance by Jackson police officers.
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body → cite → officers
The death was ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner's office on September 10.
asserted
death → rule → September
Her case has attracted attention because of the Southern state's extensive history with lynchings.
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case → attract → lynchings
Jarques Ratliff, 51, was taken into custody by Jackson police one day later, with Earnest Lloyd Jr, 25, being arrested late Tuesday and Eric Clark, 45, on Friday.
asserted
Jr → take → Friday
The three men, all black, have been charged with murder.
asserted
men → charge → murder
Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old black mother-of-four, was found hanged from a tree in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 3
A court heard on Friday that Fortune's hanging was 'staged' and that she had been dead for two to three days when her body was discovered
Ratliff was appearing in court for a preliminary hearing to determine whether his case would be taken up by a grand jury for a possible indictment.
During the hearing, Ratliff said that he was friends with Fortune.
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he → find → Fortune
Investigators believe that Fortune's body was at the Road of Remembrance site for two to three days, per WJTV.
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body → believe → WJTV
Her cause of death is yet to be revealed, with police offering few public details to date.
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police → reveal → date
Law enforcement were pointed in Ratliff's direction by several witness statements, according to investigators.
uncertain
enforcement → point → investigators
Ratliff, who is believed to have been around Fortune before her death, also told law enforcement that the two were friends, per the outlet.
asserted
two → believe → outlet
He appeared to have glassy eyes during questioning, a detective testified.
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detective → appear → questioning
However, a drug test was not conducted.
asserted
test → conduct → ?
Results are still pending for a DNA sample taken from Ratliff.
asserted
Results → pende → Ratliff
Items believed to belong to him still need to be tested, according to the outlet.
uncertain
Items → believe → outlet
The Mississippi medical examiner's office ruled that Fortune's death was a homicide earlier this month
Jarques Ratliff, 51, has been charged with murder in connection with the mom-of-four's death.
asserted
Ratliff → rule → death
He appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday and said he was friends with Fortune
Toney Baldwin, Ratliff's defense attorney, pushed back on the allegations linking his client to Fortune's death.
Baldwin said the prosecution had not given Ratliff 'one reason to lock him up in jail with no bond and call him a flight risk,' according to WLOX.
'It's very important that you divulge the information,' Baldwin said.
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Baldwin → appear → information
Dukes noted that he was 'not going to give my evidence' and that he would 'hold' comment about what Ratliff had told police 'for the grand jury,' the outlet reported.
asserted
outlet → note → jury
The detective testified that Ratliff had been questioned twice before being put behind bars.
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Ratliff → testify → bars
He told the court that Ratliff made comments regarding Fortune's death that 'you would only know if you were there,' according to the outlet.
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you → tell → outlet
That included 'an account of her ability to protect herself,' Dukes said.
asserted
Dukes → include → herself
He also told the court that Ratliff and Fortune had been 'intimate with each other' and had stayed at the same property.
asserted
Ratliff → tell → property
Dukes added that law enforcement had a witness who could testify about Ratliff's involvement and that she had been killed for taking the alleged murderer's illegal drugs.
uncertain
she → add → drugs
Earnest Lloyd Jr, 25, and Eric Clark, 45, were arrested this week on Tuesday and Friday, respectively, as part of the investigation into Fortune's death
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, said she knew her daughter had died before her body had been discovered hanged last month
Jackson police officers found Fortune's body outside an abandoned house on the 500 block of Road of Remembrance
After more than an hour in court, Judge Lilli Bass determined that Ratliff's case would resume on September 30.
asserted
case → arrest → September
He will remain in jail without bond until then.
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He → remain → bond
Lloyd Jr was arrested earlier this week and charged with murder in connection to Fortune's death, according to WLBT.
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Jr → arrest → WLBT
He was denied bond on Wednesday morning after appearing in court for the first time.
asserted
He → deny → time
Jackson police accused Lloyd of hanging Fortune with a black cable cord, per the outlet.
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police → accuse → outlet
Law enforcement claimed that Lloyd had an altercation with Fortune days or minutes before she died, per the outlet.
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she → claim → outlet
Meanwhile, Clark turned himself in on Friday and was charged with murder, WJTV reported.
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WJTV → turn → murder
Fortune's mother, Christy Spivey, said she was aware her daughter died before her body was found hanged.
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body → say → ?
The family previously pushed back on the idea that Fortune took her own life.
asserted
Fortune → push → life
'What bothered me was they said Tasia fought for her life,' Spivey said.
asserted
Spivey → bother → life
'I know she did.
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she → know → ?
I know my daughter.'
asserted
I → know → daughter
She said that Ratliff's claim about them being friends 'sounded sincere,' as Fortune 'had a lot of friends.
uncertain
Fortune → say → friends
'I hope if he is innocent that he can prove he's innocent,' Spivey added.
asserted
Spivey → hope → ?
'We don't want any innocent people going to jail.'
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people → want → jail
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
