The man arrested in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman who was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned Mississippi home last month, was denied bond after pleading not guilty to murder.
asserted
who → arrest → murder
Wearing a red jumpsuit, Jarques Ratliff, 51, made his first court appearance in Jackson Municipal Court on Monday and was formally charged with murder.
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Ratliff → wear → murder
His attorney, Toney Baldwin, argued that Ratliff was not a flight risk and was “gainfully employed,” but Judge Taurean Buchanan ordered him to be held on no bond.
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him → argue → bond
A law enforcement official present for the hearing alleged that Ratliff was “a danger to the citizens of Jackson.”
asserted
Ratliff → allege → Jackson
Ratliff, whom Jackson police said had an “association” with Fortune, was arrested Friday.
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police → say → Fortune
Police Chief RaShall Brackney said more arrests are expected.
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arrests → say → ?
A motive and Fortune’s cause of death have not been released.
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motive → release → death
Fortune was originally from Kentucky but had been living in Jackson for the last 10 years, according to her obituary.
uncertain
Fortune → live → obituary
Her body was found Aug. 3.
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body → find → ?
Her death was classified as a homicide Thursday evening.
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death → classify → homicide
Brackney said police secured two search warrants and an arrest warrant for Ratliff.
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police → say → Ratliff
She said that investigators served the search warrants on Friday but did not find Ratliff at the location.
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investigators → say → location
As officers headed back to headquarters, they encountered him walking down the street and took him into custody, Brackney said.
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Brackney → head → custody
Brackney said the arrest was “an important development,” but “it’s not the conclusion.”
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it → say → ?
“This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending as our investigators continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” the chief said.
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chief → remain → evidence
“Tasia and her children deserve nothing less,” she added.
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she → deserve → nothing
Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, told The Associated Press that she cried after learning of the arrest.
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she → tell → arrest
Spivey said she did not know Ratliff and said the family is “in disbelief” and “still don’t have a lot of answers.”
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family → say → answers
Baldwin said he sympathizes with Fortune’s family but asked that people avoid speculating about the case.
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people → say → case
It’s not a conviction,” he told reporters outside of the courthouse.
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he → ’ → courthouse
“We look forward to having our day where we present the full picture.”
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we → look → picture
Two men whom Baldwin identified as Ratliff’s relatives declined to comment.
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Baldwin → identify → relatives
The father of Fortune’s 5-year-old son, Terence Anderson, was arrested last month on an unrelated weapons charge.
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father → arrest → charge
According to NBC affiliate WLBT, Anderson, 65, was said to be a person of interest in her death.
uncertain
Anderson → accord → death
His brother, Tony Anderson, told NBC News on Monday that Terence remains in custody on the weapons charge.
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Terence → tell → charge
Tony Anderson said he does not believe his brother is still considered a person of interest.
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brother → say → interest
Jackson police and the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
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police → respond → comment
“This just about ruined his life.
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This → ruin → life
He hasn’t been able to work; people thinking you done it,” Tony Anderson said.
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Anderson → work → it
“His little son worried about him. …
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son → worry → him
It’s just messed up all the way around.”
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It → mess → ?
Fortune, a mother of four children, was remembered in her obituary as an “intelligent and talented” woman.
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Fortune → remember → woman
It said she was a cross-country athlete in her younger years.
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she → say → years
“Tasia’s path was not always easy, and there were highs and lows,” her obituary said.
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obituary → be → ?
“But no matter what, she never lost her faith in God.
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she → lose → God
She leaves behind a powerful legacy of resilience, rooted deeply in her unwavering faith.”
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She → leave → faith
The case garnered national headlines given the state’s history of racially motivated violence and a distrust in the police’s handling of death investigations involving Black people.
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case → garner → people
Fortune’s death sparked comparisons to Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a Black college student who was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi last year.
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who → spark → Mississippi
Democratic Congresswomen Yvette Clarke of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and colleagues said in a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they wanted a “thorough, transparent, and comprehensive” investigation into “the numerous incidents of Black people found hanging across the country.”
“Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity.
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Inaction → say → 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 statement.
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lawmakers → have → statement
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
