A Memphis mother is facing a first-degree murder charge after she fatally shot a 20-year-old man she allegedly found hiding under her teenage daughter’s bed — a case that has raised difficult questions about the line between self-defense and homicide.
Kendra Scott, 36, was charged by the Memphis Police Department with one count of first-degree murder and one count of employment of a firearm during a dangerous felony in connection with the death of Rodderius Morton.
The shooting occurred early Wednesday morning at a residence on Travis Road in the Walker Homes neighborhood. Officers responded around 1:45 a.m. and found Morton lying in the front yard near the porch with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
According to a charging affidavit, Scott came home around 1:30 a.m. to find Morton — who had reportedly been invited inside by a juvenile girl at the residence — hiding under the bed in the girl’s room. When confronted, Scott allegedly told responding officers: “I saw a dude under my kids’ bed, and I did what I had to do.”
A neighbor told investigators he heard banging, went outside, and found the wounded Morton near the front porch. The same neighbor said he saw Scott standing in the front yard, gun in hand, repeating, “I shot him, I shot him.”
Investigators say Morton had been attempting to leave when Scott confronted him. The two argued, and as Morton reached the front porch, a single gunshot rang out.
The juvenile at the scene told police she had been afraid of Scott because the defendant was visibly angry and armed, and that Scott had previously warned her: “If I see a boy in the house, then I will put a hole in his a—.”
Scott is currently being held without bond at the Shelby County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.