Man pleads not guilty, denied bond for charges in Tasia Fortune’s murder

Key Points:

• Jarques Ratliff, 51, was denied bond after pleading not guilty to the murder of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman found hanging from a tree in Jackson, Mississippi; he was formally charged in Jackson Municipal Court and is being held without bond due to being deemed a danger to the community.
• Police indicated Ratliff had an association with Fortune and expect additional arrests as the investigation continues; the motive and cause of Fortune’s death have not yet been released.
• Fortune, a mother of four and longtime Jackson resident originally from Kentucky, was found dead on August 3, with her death ruled a homicide; her family expressed disbelief and a lack of answers following the arrest.
• The case has drawn national attention amid concerns over racially motivated violence and distrust in police investigations involving Black victims, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers for a thorough federal investigation into similar incidents of Black individuals found hanging.
• Terence Anderson, the father of Fortune’s young son and previously considered a person of interest, remains in custody on an unrelated weapons charge, with his family denying he is still connected to the investigation.