Durand was "trapped in the cold darkness of his car trunk" for several hours, according to a 2013
obituary for the 73-year-old attorney by his former colleagues at the Lewis Thomason law firm. Abston and another man, Marquette Cobbins, drove Durand to ATMs where they forced him to withdraw and hand over money.
The lawyer was standing at a Mapco gas station ATM, still at gunpoint, when he saw an armed Memphis Housing Authority guard. Durand yelled for help and his assailants fled. They were later arrested, tried and found guilty for his kidnapping.
In a
victim impact statement, Durand said, "My feelings about being the victim of this crime, and the feelings of those around me, are that I was extremely lucky that I was able to escape from the custody of Cleotha Abston."