True Crime
Clark's bond was set at $5 million on a murder charge in Tasia Fortune's death.
On Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, Eric Clark, 45, made an initial appearance in Jackson Municipal Court on a murder charge in the death of Tasia Fortune, 29. Judge Jeffrey Reynolds set bond at $5 million.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
A murder charge and a bond figure are process. They are not a conviction. On Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, Clark, 45, appeared in Jackson Municipal Court, and Judge Jeffrey Reynolds set bond at $5 million on a murder charge in the death of Tasia Fortune, 29. Jarques Ratliff and Earnest Lloyd Jr. are charged in the same case, and a bond order does not decide guilt for any of the three.
Tasia Fortune, 29, of Jackson, Mississippi, a mother of four, was found Aug. 3, 2026, hanging behind an abandoned or vacant home on Road of Remembrance in Jackson. Clark was arrested Friday after he turned himself in, and he is charged with murder. Some local captions have used Erick. This file uses Eric Clark, the name in the ABC News account and in Monday's court reporting. He appeared Monday before Judge Jeffrey Reynolds, also reported as Jeff Reynolds. An arrest, an initial appearance, and a bond figure are how a charge moves. They are not findings.
Police Chief RaShall Brackney has described the hanging as a "staged event" in a "drug case gone very wrong." She said the manner of death is homicide. She said she expects more arrests, and she said she expects conspiracy charges against the people already charged. She also said there was a known association between Fortune and the suspects. An expected conspiracy charge is not a charge that has been filed. A chief's account of a staged hanging is an investigative statement. It is not a verdict.
At Monday's hearing, Detective Robert Taylor testified that Clark and a co-defendant allegedly invited Fortune from a Capitol Street home to "make a lick," to sell drugs. He testified that a witness said three people left and only two returned, and that when Clark returned he was dirty and sweaty, with money and drugs. Taylor said brown shoes Clark had worn were later found on Fortune's body. DNA testing is in process. At a related Friday hearing, Detective Samuel Dukes testified that Fortune was killed in a drug dispute, that she fought her attackers, and that the hanging was staged, which he attributed to the medical examiner's opinion. That testimony is accusation. It is not proof.
Jarques Ratliff, 51, also reported as Jarquez "Jock" Ratliff, is charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty, and bond was denied. Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, is charged with murder, and bond was denied. Clark, Ratliff, and Lloyd remain presumed innocent. The $5 million bond set Monday is a custody condition. It is not a finding that Clark killed Fortune.
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