Jackson police announced Friday (September 25) that Eric Clark, 45, turned himself in and was charged with murder, according to WLBT.
Clark is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday (September 28). WLBT reported it was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Earlier this month, police also arrested 51-year-old Jarques “Jock” Ratliff and 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in connection with the case.
Ratliff has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond, while Lloyd was also denied bond, according to WLBT.
New details have also emerged about what investigators believe happened to Fortune.
According to The Associated Press, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes testified Friday that Fortune was already dead before her body was hung from a tree behind an abandoned home.
Dukes said the scene was “staged,” based on the medical examiner’s determination that Fortune had died before she was suspended from the tree.
Dukes also testified that investigators believe Fortune was killed during a dispute over drugs. Interviews with witnesses indicated that Fortune fought with her attackers before she was killed, according to his testimony.
Fortune was found on August 3, and her death was ruled a homicide by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office in September.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed Fortune’s exact cause of death or explained why her body was hung after she was already dead.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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