3rd man arrested in hanging death in Jackson

Jackson police have arrested a third man in the death of Tasia Fortune, 29. Fortune was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned house in Jackson on August 3. On September 11, JPD made the first arrest in the case – 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, who had “an association” with Fortune according to JPD Chief RaShall Brackney. This was followed by the arrests of Earnest Lloyd, Jr., 25, on September 22 and Eric Clark, 45, on September 25.

Ratliff, Lloyd and Clark have all been charged with Fortune’s murder. Chief Brackney says more arrests are pending and that the three men will soon face conspiracy charges as well.

Police say that Fortune’s hanging was “staged” and that she was already dead when her body was hung from the tree. Fortune’s actual cause of death is not yet public knowledge. Chief Brackney says that Fortune’s killing was the result of a “drug dispute” without providing further details.

Clark’s arrest followed a bizarre incident outside the courthouse after a hearing for Ratliff. Fortune’s mother Christy Spivy says that Clark approached her, hugged her, and said he was turning himself in for murder.

The news that Fortune, a Black woman, was hanged raised fears among members of the public that her killing might have been racially motivated. Everyone charged in her death so far is Black. Chief Brackney did not reveal any information about why the alleged perpetrators staged Fortune’s body in this way. However, she did allude to Mississippi’s history of racially motivated violence and its upsetting effect on the community. She also implied that the staging of the hanging was an attempt to “derail” the investigation and misdirect police.