Murder

Kendra Scott, 36, is charged with first-degree murder and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony following the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Rodderius Morton outside her Memphis home in the early hours of July 16, 2026. She is being held without bond at the Shelby County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court. According to police, Scott's 14-year-old daughter had invited Morton into the family's residence on Travis Road in the Walker Homes neighborhood through the back door around 1 a.m. When Scott arrived home roughly 30 minutes later, she found Morton hiding under her daughter's bed. She ordered him out of the house, and as he left through the front porch, she shot him in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Scott told police, "I saw a dude under my kids' bed, and I did what I had to do." According to one unconfirmed report, a witness told investigators that Scott had previously warned she would "put a hole in" any boy she found in the house, though that account has not been independently corroborated by other outlets. The case has drawn significant public attention, with coverage spanning local Memphis stations and national outlets. No additional suspects have been named, and no defense attorney statements have been entered into the public record as of this writing.

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