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Shelby County judge denies request for Memphis rape case to move to Davidson Co.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The suspect in the high-profile Tennessee rape case of Eliza Fletcher wants to bring another one of his trials to Nashville.

Lawyers for Cleotha Henderson asked a Shelby County judge for a move of venue motion for the rape case of Alicia Franklin back in 2021 to take place in Davidson County.

The judge denied the request, so the trial will take place in Memphis in April.

Franklin has been outspoken in her case saying, "if police had acted earlier on her case, the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher would not have occurred.”

Fletcher was killed in 2022, so Henderson wasn't booked for the crime against Franklin until a year after it was allegedly committed. 

Henderson's lawyers say they will likely make a motion to move the Eliza Fletcher murder case as well. We'll let you know if that request features Davidson County.

Remembering Eudora Boxley, a trailblazing TV cook from WLAC's early days

I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.

-Lelan Statom