MEMPHIS, TN - A Tennessee mother who allegedly took the law into her own hands on July 16 when she shot and killed a man who was hiding under her teenage daughter’s bed has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm, officials said.
At approximately 1:40 a.m. on July 16, police responded to a reported shooting, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by PEOPLE Magazine. Upon arrival, officers found an unresponsive man lying in the front yard “suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head,” the affidavit said.
The victim, tentatively identified as Rodderius Morton, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers spoke to the suspect, Kendra Scott, who said that she came home and “saw a dude under my kid’s bed.”
“I did what I had to do,” Scott told police.
A neighbor who came outside after hearing a gunshot saw the male lying near the front porch of Scott’s home. Scott was standing in the yard saying, ”I shot him, I shot him,” while still holding the gun.
Police spoke to an unidentified juvenile whose name wasn’t released, who told police they invited Morton into the home at about 1:20 or 1:30 a.m., according to the affidavit. When Scott arrived home, she began yelling, "Who’s at my house.”
The juvenile told investigators that they were afraid of Scott, who had previously said that, "If I see a boy in my house, I will put a hole in his ass,” the affidavit related.
Scott found Morton hiding behind the bed, and then gathered his things and started to leave the home when they heard a gunshot, the juvenile told police.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Blake Ballin, Scott’s attorney said the incident “started with the worst nightmare of any parent,” and noted that the juvenile involved was a 13-year-old girl.
“One of the key questions in this case will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance,” Ballin added.
Scott is being held without bond and is scheduled for her first arraignment hearing on July 24, according to public court records.
Comments
2026-07-20T16:23-0400 | Comment by: Jan
Is the STATE now making the assumption of most well protected law school graduates that this woman had not reason, in the middle of the night, to act as she did? Is there a Go Fund Me page for this Mom, so she gets something besides a Public Defender who is over worked and doesn't want to offend any future employer in raising of a vigorous defense for this woman?
2026-07-20T16:42-0400 | Comment by: Dawn
MAN. 13-year-old JUVENILE. Enough said.