Memphis Mom Charged With Murder After Man Found Under Daughter’s Bed

A Memphis mother returned home before sunrise and discovered a 20-year-old man hiding beneath her teenage daughter’s bed. Minutes later, the man was lying outside the house with a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his head.

Kendra Scott, 36, has been charged with first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony in the death of Rodderius Morton. Although Scott allegedly told officers that she acted after finding a stranger beneath her child’s bed, investigators say Morton was unarmed and leaving the property when the fatal shot was fired.

The disturbing case has quickly become a complicated argument about parental fear, the limits of self-defense and a decision that cannot be undone.

A Late-Night Invitation Ends in Gunfire

Memphis police said officers were sent to the 3000 block of Travis Road at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Thursday, July 16. They found Morton suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Scott was arrested there and later formally charged.

According to the arrest affidavit described by multiple news outlets, Scott’s 13-year-old daughter told investigators that she had invited Morton into the house. He reportedly entered through the back door sometime around 1:20 or 1:30 a.m.

Scott returned home around the same time and allegedly began pounding on the front door while demanding to know who was inside. The girl told investigators that she was frightened because her mother appeared angry, had a gun, and had previously threatened to shoot any boy discovered inside the home.

Morton apparently hid beneath the girl’s bed. After Scott entered the house and found him, an argument began as he attempted to leave. The confrontation moved toward the front porch, where the girl reported hearing a single gunshot.

Police said Morton was found outside with a wound to the back of his head. ABC24 reported that investigators said he did not have a weapon. A spent cartridge casing was reportedly recovered from the porch, along with a black Smith & Wesson handgun.

A neighbor told investigators that he went outside after hearing the commotion and saw Scott standing near Morton while holding a gun. According to the affidavit, she repeatedly said, “I shot him, I shot him.”

Scott also allegedly gave officers a blunt explanation for what had happened.

“I did what I had to do,” she said after telling police that she had seen a man beneath her child’s bed.

Her Attorney Calls It a Parent’s Nightmare

Scott’s defense attorney, Blake Ballin, has emphasized the terrifying circumstances confronting a mother who unexpectedly discovered an adult man inside her daughter’s bedroom.

Ballin described the discovery as “the worst nightmare of any parent.” He said one of the central questions would be whether a person could be expected to behave rationally under such emotionally charged circumstances.

That argument, however, will have to be weighed against the physical evidence and witness accounts described in the affidavit. Police have not publicly alleged that Morton threatened Scott, attacked anyone or displayed a weapon before he was shot.

Buddy Smith, a retired law enforcement officer and self-defense expert interviewed by WMC, said that absence could become critical. He noted that “the affidavit does not allege that he threatened the mother,” leaving the courts and potentially a jury to decide whether deadly force was legally justified.

Scott initially remained in custody, but a judge granted her a $100,000 bond during a July 20 hearing. Court records reviewed by ABC24 showed that she posted bond on July 22 and was released. Her next court appearance is scheduled for August 3.

The charges remain accusations. Prosecutors will have to prove that Scott committed first-degree murder, and her defense will have the opportunity to challenge the state’s account, present additional evidence and argue that the circumstances affected her actions.

Morton’s Former Teacher Adds Another Layer

As public attention focused heavily on Scott’s fear for her daughter, one of Morton’s former teachers urged people to remember that the young man who died also had a personal history that was not captured by the arrest affidavit.

Robin Perkins, who identified herself as Morton’s former special-education teacher, said he had special needs and did not function cognitively like an average 20-year-old. The precise nature of any disability has not been publicly documented, and Perkins’ description remains her personal account.

Perkins made clear that she was not defending Morton’s decision to visit a 13-year-old girl secretly during the night.

“I do not condone his actions,” she said, while arguing that the encounter could have ended without anyone being killed. She described Morton as soft-spoken and respectful and said his family apparently did not know he had left home that night.

Nothing publicly released so far explains the full nature of the relationship between Morton and the girl. Authorities also have not announced any evidence that a sexual offense occurred inside the house. What has been established is that the girl invited him inside, he hid when Scott returned, and he was shot as the confrontation moved outside.

The case now leaves two families facing very different forms of devastation and a child caught at the center of a homicide investigation. A courtroom, rather than social media, will determine whether Scott’s actions amounted to murder or were legally justified.