Sheriff wants witnesses to Shelby Farms shooting, FedEx scammer pleads guilty

Monday afternoon was full of news related to public safety. Day two began with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office providing updates on the bust of the drug businessthe state of the investigation of two murders and the state of the deputy who was involved in an accident.

The man also pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding FedEx of more than $750,000 in a three-year mail fraud scheme.

Here’s what was on the list for the week starting October 28.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is asking for more witnesses to the Shelby Farm shooting

Anthony Buckner, a senior deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday that investigators need more witnesses to the Oct. 19 fatal shooting of Ellie Young at Shelby Farms Park after a cancer walk.

Although Jackson Hopper, Young’s ex-boyfriend, has been arrested and charged with her murder, Buckner said investigators need more information.

“While we have a suspect in custody, we are still seeking the public’s assistance with witness information,” Buckner said during a press conference. “If anyone heard or saw anything at Shelby Farms that day, we need you to contact our detectives at (901)379-7625. Our detectives really, really, really need eyewitness information so we can continue to add or incorporate that information inside. affairs”.

Hopper, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Young’s murder. Bail has not been set.

Young was found with “multiple gunshot wounds” on the ground near her Jeep Wrangler, according to a police affidavit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Preliminary coverage: Cleota Abston, accused of kidnapping and murdering Eliza Fletcher, pleads guilty

“Witnesses stated that they saw the victim park in the parking space,” the affidavit states. “A white Honda CRV with Kentucky plates pulled up behind the victim’s Jeep. The white driver of the Honda CRV fired two shots into the back of the jeep where the victim was. The victim got out of the Jeep Wrangler and the suspect fired at least one more shot at the victim as she lay on the ground before getting back into the white Honda and leaving the scene.”

The family told sheriff’s deputies, according to the affidavit, that Young and Hopper had recently separated.

Hopper was arrested after a pursuit in Mason, Tennessee by the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to a three-year FedEx mail fraud scheme

Sean Cavanaugh, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

According to prosecutors, Cavanaugh “fraudulently obtained more than $750,000” by sending packages containing “worthless goods” via FedEx. He then claimed that the packages had not been delivered and filed claims with FedEx for reimbursement for the contents of the packages, providing fake invoices that overestimated what was inside the packages.

“Mr. Cavanaugh’s case serves as a reminder that fraud and the pursuit of quick profits can have serious consequences,” Inspector Tommy D. Coke of the US Postal Inspection Service’s Atlanta Division said in a news release. “I am proud of the women and men of the United States Postal Inspection Service for their continued dedication to protecting the US Postal Service and our customers, and for their determination to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent activity are held accountable for their crimes. activity”.

Cavanaugh faces up to 20 years in federal prison and could be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines along with up to $764,250 in restitution. His sentence is set for February 20.

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A case that drew international attention to Shelby County came to a quick end Monday morning. Cleota Abston pleaded guilty two years after he was arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of Memphis schoolteacher Eliza Fletcher.

Abston pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Memphis Grizzlies Star Ja Morant’s civil lawsuit remains on hold while new attorneys for the teenager Morant punched during a basketball game in July 2022 prepare for a second self-defense hearing.

New attorneys for Joshua Holloway, the teenager who is suing Morant, filed a motion to compel discovery on Oct. 24. According to emails attached to the motion, Holloway’s new attorneys did not receive the full discovery file from his previous attorneys, and Moranta’s attorneys declined to provide discovery because “every item you ask about in your letter is either Mr. Holloway or a third party source. , to which Mr. Holloway has the same or better access than our clients.”

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This article originally appeared on the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby Farms homicide under investigation, man pleads guilty to FedEx fraud