Topline: A third man faces a murder charge in Tasia Fortune’s death as court testimony points to a fatal drug dispute before her body was placed in a tree.
Published: September 28, 2026 10:04 pm ET
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Tasia Fortune (Family handout)
JACKSON, MS — A third man has been charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging in a tree behind an abandoned home on Aug. 3.
At a Sept. 25 hearing, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified that Fortune apparently died after a dispute over drugs and that the hanging occurred afterward, according to The Associated Press report published by WDIV. Dukes cited the medical examiner’s opinion in describing the scene as staged.
Dukes told the court that Fortune fought her attackers before she was killed. Authorities have classified her death as a homicide, but they have not publicly disclosed the precise cause of death or explained why her body was subsequently hanged.
Fortune was Black. The discovery drew widespread attention and fear because it evoked Mississippi’s history of lynchings and racial violence. The AP clarified its report on Sept. 26: Dukes did not say whether the alleged killers intended to make the scene resemble a lynching. Both of the first two men arrested are also Black.
The latest defendant, a 45-year-old man, surrendered Sept. 25 after authorities obtained an arrest warrant. He was charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28. The report did not identify him by name.
The testimony came during a hearing for Jarques Ratliff, 51, the first person arrested in the case. The hearing concerns whether the evidence is sufficient to send his case to a grand jury to consider an indictment. It is scheduled to continue Sept. 30.
Ratliff was arrested in mid-September, pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. Police also arrested Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, during the week of the hearing on a murder charge.
During the hearing, Ratliff called out that he and Fortune had been friends. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, later said his statement sounded sincere and that her daughter had many friends. She emphasized that she did not want anyone innocent sent to jail. Ratliff’s stepdaughter, Lashuna Jones, attended in support of him and denied that he committed the killing.
Spivey told reporters she already knew her daughter had died before the hanging. She said the placement of Fortune’s body had drawn attention to the case, while the testimony about her daughter fighting for her life was especially upsetting.
Fortune had four children and had experienced homelessness in recent years, according to her mother. Spivey did not know where she was staying when she died. Fortune had discussed opening a cleaning business and was working to put her life in order.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Detective Says Tasia Fortune’s Hanging Was Staged After Apparent Drug-Dispute Killing
A third man faces a murder charge in Tasia Fortune’s death as court testimony points to a fatal drug dispute before her body was placed in a tree.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: September 28, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Tasia Fortune (Family handout)
JACKSON, MS — A third man has been charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging in a tree behind an abandoned home on Aug. 3.
At a Sept. 25 hearing, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified that Fortune apparently died after a dispute over drugs and that the hanging occurred afterward, according to The Associated Press report published by WDIV. Dukes cited the medical examiner’s opinion in describing the scene as staged.
Dukes told the court that Fortune fought her attackers before she was killed. Authorities have classified her death as a homicide, but they have not publicly disclosed the precise cause of death or explained why her body was subsequently hanged.
Fortune was Black. The discovery drew widespread attention and fear because it evoked Mississippi’s history of lynchings and racial violence. The AP clarified its report on Sept. 26: Dukes did not say whether the alleged killers intended to make the scene resemble a lynching. Both of the first two men arrested are also Black.
The latest defendant, a 45-year-old man, surrendered Sept. 25 after authorities obtained an arrest warrant. He was charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28. The report did not identify him by name.
The testimony came during a hearing for Jarques Ratliff, 51, the first person arrested in the case. The hearing concerns whether the evidence is sufficient to send his case to a grand jury to consider an indictment. It is scheduled to continue Sept. 30.
Ratliff was arrested in mid-September, pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. Police also arrested Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, during the week of the hearing on a murder charge.
During the hearing, Ratliff called out that he and Fortune had been friends. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, later said his statement sounded sincere and that her daughter had many friends. She emphasized that she did not want anyone innocent sent to jail. Ratliff’s stepdaughter, Lashuna Jones, attended in support of him and denied that he committed the killing.
Spivey told reporters she already knew her daughter had died before the hanging. She said the placement of Fortune’s body had drawn attention to the case, while the testimony about her daughter fighting for her life was especially upsetting.
Fortune had four children and had experienced homelessness in recent years, according to her mother. Spivey did not know where she was staying when she died. Fortune had discussed opening a cleaning business and was working to put her life in order.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Detective Says Tasia Fortune’s Hanging Was Staged After Apparent Drug-Dispute Killing
A third man faces a murder charge in Tasia Fortune’s death as court testimony points to a fatal drug dispute before her body was placed in a tree.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: September 28, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Tasia Fortune (Family handout)
JACKSON, MS — A third man has been charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging in a tree behind an abandoned home on Aug. 3.
At a Sept. 25 hearing, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified that Fortune apparently died after a dispute over drugs and that the hanging occurred afterward, according to The Associated Press report published by WDIV. Dukes cited the medical examiner’s opinion in describing the scene as staged.
Dukes told the court that Fortune fought her attackers before she was killed. Authorities have classified her death as a homicide, but they have not publicly disclosed the precise cause of death or explained why her body was subsequently hanged.
Fortune was Black. The discovery drew widespread attention and fear because it evoked Mississippi’s history of lynchings and racial violence. The AP clarified its report on Sept. 26: Dukes did not say whether the alleged killers intended to make the scene resemble a lynching. Both of the first two men arrested are also Black.
The latest defendant, a 45-year-old man, surrendered Sept. 25 after authorities obtained an arrest warrant. He was charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28. The report did not identify him by name.
The testimony came during a hearing for Jarques Ratliff, 51, the first person arrested in the case. The hearing concerns whether the evidence is sufficient to send his case to a grand jury to consider an indictment. It is scheduled to continue Sept. 30.
Ratliff was arrested in mid-September, pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. Police also arrested Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, during the week of the hearing on a murder charge.
During the hearing, Ratliff called out that he and Fortune had been friends. Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, later said his statement sounded sincere and that her daughter had many friends. She emphasized that she did not want anyone innocent sent to jail. Ratliff’s stepdaughter, Lashuna Jones, attended in support of him and denied that he committed the killing.
Spivey told reporters she already knew her daughter had died before the hanging. She said the placement of Fortune’s body had drawn attention to the case, while the testimony about her daughter fighting for her life was especially upsetting.
Fortune had four children and had experienced homelessness in recent years, according to her mother. Spivey did not know where she was staying when she died. Fortune had discussed opening a cleaning business and was working to put her life in order.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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