A Tennessee woman is accused of fatally shooting a man she allegedly discovered hiding beneath her 13-year-old daughter’s bed, a confrontation that has now led to a first-degree murder charge, authorities said.
Kendra Scott was taken into custody after Memphis police found 20-year-old Rodderius Morton dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head outside her home shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post.
Scott’s attorney described the episode as “the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl.”
The 36-year-old mother allegedly told responding officers that when she returned home, she “saw a dude under my kids’ bed,” the affidavit says.
“And I did what I had to do,” she told police, according to the court filing.
The fatal encounter began after Scott’s teenage daughter told investigators she had invited Morton to the family’s Memphis residence around 1 a.m., according to the affidavit and Scott’s lawyer.
About 30 minutes later, Scott arrived home and allegedly began banging on the front door while yelling, “Who’s at my house?!” the affidavit states.
Her daughter, whose name has not been released, became frightened when she realized her mother was allegedly armed with a gun, according to the document.
Scott had said that if she “sees a boy in my house I will put a hole in his ass,” the daughter later told cops, according to the affidavit.
The teen eventually let her mother inside, where Scott allegedly found Morton hiding under her bed, the court doc states.
“Get out of my house bitch,” she allegedly screamed, and followed Morton out the front door.
That’s when her daughter and a neighbor allegedly heard a gunshot ring out.
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The neighbor later told police he came outside of his house and saw Scott, still holding the gun, standing by the man’s body – while admitting, “I shot him, I shot him,” according to the affidavit.
Officers recovered one spent shell casing on the front porch, as well as a Smith & Wesson black handgun, the document states.
Scott was taken to the police department for questioning, then charged with first degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to the Memphis Police Department.
She was reportedly being held behind bars ahead of her Monday morning court appearance, when a judge will set her bond, her lawyer, Blake Ballin, told The Post.
“This incident started with the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl,” Ballin said.
“Predictably, it ended in tragedy. One of the key questions in this case will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance,” the attorney added.
Retired law enforcement officer and firearm self-defense trainer Buddy Smith, however, told Action News 5 that the known circumstances of Scott’s case would not qualify under Tennessee’s Castle Doctrine, which protects someone from criminal prosecution or civil liability if they use reasonable – including deadly – force against an intruder.
The legislation means “you’re allowed to protect the people in your residence when someone breaks in to commit a violent felony against you or someone in your house,” Smith told the outlet.
But in Scott’s case, “the affidavit does not allege that [Morton] threatened the mother or anyone else at that time,” he explained. “Those alleged facts will likely be important issues for the court, and ultimately the jury.”
The case has drawn fierce debate online – where some people believe the alleged shooting was justified, and others think the mom went too far.
Even Scott’s neighbors were divided on the issue.
“She seemed like a real nice lady. All I can say is, that hurts that someone was in there with one of her little girls,” Gloria Milon, who lives near Scott in the Walker Homes neighborhood of Memphis, told Action News 5.
Another nearby resident said the mom should have simply called 911.
“If it would’ve been me in that situation…I would’ve called the police and had them sitting at my house when I got there,” the unidentified neighbor told the outlet.
“Therefore, you take him out, take him on to jail,” he added.
