Fastrack · Judge Sets $5M Bond for Third Suspect in Fortune Death

A Hinds County judge set a $5 million bond Monday for Eric Clark, 45, the third man charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune. Clark turned himself in Friday.

3 men — Clark, Jarques Ratliff, 51, and Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25 — face murder charges.
All three men charged in the case are Black, authorities confirmed.
Fortune's body was discovered Aug. 3 behind an abandoned Jackson house.
Ratliff pleaded not guilty and is held without bond; Lloyd was also denied bond.

Why it matters: The staged scene alarmed the public and drew national attention because it evoked Mississippi's history of racist lynchings, prompting calls for a federal civil rights investigation.

Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified Fortune was already dead when her body was hanged, and witness interviews indicated she fought for her life before she was killed.
"People justifiably didn't know if we had a killer on the loose who might hang people for racial reasons," Judge Jeffery Reynolds said Monday.

How 7 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

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Mixed

Low

Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 7 sources

7 sources · 7 articles · 57% Center coverage

Where they split: Coverage does not split on facts; all outlets report the same police account that the hanging was staged and the killing stemmed from a drug dispute.

Center coverage, 4 sources: The center focuses on the legal proceedings, bond amounts, and the police account of a drug dispute, while noting the racial context without foregrounding it.

CNCTV News12hJudge sets US$5M bond for third man charged in death of Black woman whose body was later hung in tree TNDThe National Desk12hThird suspect gets $5M bond in death of Black woman found hanging from tree

Associated Press13hJudge sets $5M bond for third man charged in death of Black woman whose body was later hung in tree WYWKBN Youngstown11hJudge sets $5M bond for third man charged in death of Black woman whose body was later hung in tree

Left coverage, 2 sources: The left emphasizes Fortune's race, Mississippi's history of racial violence, and the fear the staged scene generated before police ruled out a hate crime motive.

The Independent13hJudge sets $5M bond for third man charged in death of Black woman whose body was later hung in tree

ABC News15h3rd suspect charged with murder in death of Tasia Fortune, who was found hanging from a tree

Right1 source

The Washington Times9hJudge sets $5M bond for third man charged in death of Black woman whose body was later hung in tree

What’s next: A Sept. 30 hearing will determine whether evidence is sufficient to go to a grand jury.

Police Chief Brackney said more arrests are likely in the case.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed Fortune's cause of death.
Police have not said whether race played any role in the killing.
It is unclear whether Clark or Lloyd have retained attorneys.