Memphis mother charged with murder after shooting man found hiding under daughter’s bed

A Memphis mother has been charged with first-degree murder after police say she shot a man who was found hiding under her teenage daughter’s bed, according to PEOPLE, which obtained the arrest affidavit filed by the Memphis Police Department. Kendra Scott, 36, was booked on first-degree murder and a firearm charge tied to the commission of a dangerous felony. She is being held without bond as the case moves toward arraignment.

According to the affidavit, officers responded to the 3000 block of Travis Road in Memphis at around 1:40 a.m. on July 16 after receiving reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive man lying in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. The man, tentatively identified as Rodderius Morton, was pronounced dead at the scene. His age has not been released, and police have not disclosed whether he had any prior connection to Scott’s family beyond what witnesses described that night.

Investigators say Scott admitted she discovered a man hiding beneath her child’s bed after returning home. According to the affidavit, she told officers, “I did what I had to do.” A neighbor also told police he rushed outside after hearing a gunshot and saw Morton lying near the front porch while Scott stood in the yard holding a gun and repeatedly saying she had shot him. Authorities say those witness accounts form part of the evidence supporting the charges, though the complete timeline will ultimately be examined in court.

That hidden spot became the center of a deadly confrontation

A juvenile who was inside the home, identified by Scott’s attorney as her 13-year-old daughter, told investigators she had secretly invited Morton into the house between 1:20 and 1:30 a.m. without her mother’s knowledge. The girl said she became frightened when Scott came home yelling while carrying a gun. She also told police her mother had previously warned she would shoot if she ever found a boy inside the house. According to the affidavit, Morton was collecting his belongings to leave when the girl heard a gunshot outside.

The shooting has also sparked debate about how far someone can legally go when they believe a child may be in danger. In another recent case, a South Carolina jury cleared a store owner who shot a 14-year-old during a chase over stolen water bottles, claiming he did it to protect his son.

Scott’s attorney, Blake Ballin, argued that the incident began as every parent’s worst nightmare and questioned whether anyone could be expected to react rationally after discovering an unknown man hiding in a child’s bedroom. While that statement hints at the defense’s likely argument, no formal defense strategy has been presented in court, and Scott has not yet entered a plea. Her first arraignment hearing is scheduled for Friday, July 24, according to the public court records.

Questions about perceived threats have also surfaced in police shooting cases. We recently covered another incident in which officers were cleared after shooting a man who was holding what turned out to be a fake gun.

The case has drawn widespread attention because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting, and Scott remains in custody without bond as prosecutors continue the case.