A Mom Came Home, Found a Man Under Her Daughter's Bed, and Said Something — Now She's Facing Murder Charges

A late-night discovery inside a family home ended with a young man dead in the front yard, but the mother's alleged warning and the words neighbors later shared have made the case even more contentious.

Kendra Scott, 36, was arrested after police responded to her Memphis, Tennessee, home on July 16, 2026. Officers said the deadly confrontation began shortly after her 13-year-old daughter invited 20-year-old Rodderius Morton inside, but the full sequence would leave two families facing very different kinds of anguish.

What Happened Inside the House That Night?

It was around 1 a.m. when Morton arrived at the house in Memphis' Walker Homes neighborhood, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post. Scott's daughter later told police that she had invited him over.

For the teenager, that decision may have seemed private in the moment. About 30 minutes later, however, her mother was outside pounding on the front door. "Who's at my house?!" Scott allegedly shouted.

The girl could reportedly see that her mother had a gun, and fear quickly replaced any thought of keeping Morton hidden. She also remembered something Scott had allegedly warned her before that night: If she ever found a boy in the house, she would "put a hole in his [expletive]."

The teenager eventually opened the door. Scott entered and discovered Morton beneath her daughter's bed. For a mother already furious enough to arrive armed, seeing a 20-year-old man hiding in her 13-year-old child's bedroom must have been deeply alarming.

Still, what happened after that discovery is now being examined as a criminal act rather than simply a parent's panicked reaction. "Get out of my house [expletive]," Scott allegedly screamed.

Morton came out from beneath the bed and headed for the front door. Scott followed him outside, leaving her daughter behind in a house that was about to become the center of a police investigation.

What Happened After He Walked Outside?

A gunshot broke the quiet of the neighborhood moments after Morton left the house. Scott's daughter heard it, and so did at least one person living nearby.

Police were called to the 3000 block of Travis Road at 1:45 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Morton lying in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

For Morton's family, there would be no chance to hear his explanation of why he had gone to the house or why he hid beneath the bed. The 20-year-old's life had ended in a yard he had entered less than an hour earlier.

A neighbor told investigators that he came outside and saw Scott standing near Morton's body with a gun still in her hand. "I shot him, I shot him," she allegedly said.

Officers found one spent shell casing on the front porch. They also recovered a black Smith & Wesson handgun. Scott was detained at her home and taken to the police department. When officers asked what had happened, she reportedly answered in plain terms.

She said she came home and "saw a dude under my kids' bed." "And I did what I had to do," Scott added, according to the affidavit.

That short explanation revealed how Scott apparently viewed her actions. Police, however, learned that Morton had been invited into the home by her daughter, and investigators found enough evidence to arrest Scott.

She was charged with first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Instead of returning home to her daughters that morning, she remained behind bars.

Where Could Her Defense Begin?

Scott's attorney, Blake Ballin, did not minimize how serious the outcome was. He did, however, ask people to consider what his client believed she had encountered inside her home.

"This incident started with the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl," Ballin said. "Predictably, it ended in tragedy."

His description speaks to the part of the case that has left many people conflicted. A mother had found an adult man concealed beneath her young daughter's bed, but that man was later found outside with a bullet wound to the back of his head.

Still, Ballin indicated that Scott's emotional state could become important as the case moves forward. "One of the key questions in this case will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance," he said.

That question may connect with parents who can imagine Scott's shock. Yet the law will require more than an understanding of why she was frightened or angry.

Retired law enforcement officer and firearm self-defense trainer Buddy Smith said the allegations currently known would not appear to qualify under Tennessee's Castle Doctrine.

Smith explained that the law allows someone to protect people inside a residence when an intruder enters to commit a violent felony. In this case, the affidavit says Scott's daughter invited Morton inside.

There is another difficult detail for the defense. "The affidavit does not allege that he threatened the mother or anyone else at that time, and those alleged facts will likely be important issues for the court, and ultimately a jury," Smith said.

Additional evidence could change how Scott's attorneys present the confrontation. Based on the affidavit alone, however, Smith said the available facts do not support a self-defense argument.

Scott remained incarcerated ahead of her scheduled court appearance on Monday, July 20. A judge was expected to determine her bond.

How Are the Families Coping?

While strangers debated whether Scott had protected her child or gone too far, Morton's relatives were mourning someone they knew as far more than the man described in a police affidavit.

His sister, Tamara Morton, spoke out on the day of his death. Her July 16 social media post carried the shock of someone who had barely begun to process that her younger brother was gone.

She wrote, "My heart is broken My little brother if yk Rod He don’t bother NOBODY 💔💔 Lord This is a Nightmare!! IM SO ANGRY [sic]!"

Her words offered a painful reminder that Morton had people who loved him and now have to live with questions he could no longer answer.

Meanwhile, Scott's family is also facing a frightening new reality. Her sister, Kiffany Scott, created an online fundraiser titled "Support Kendra Scott and her Three Daughters."

The campaign describes Scott as a devoted mother whose three daughters have had their lives turned upside down. Scott's sister said the children were coping with the emotional impact of the incident while also wondering what would happen to their family.

Funds were being requested for Scott's legal expenses and the girls' daily care. The family also hoped to provide counseling and cover household costs while Scott remained incarcerated. As of this publication, the fundraiser had collected $129 of its $20,000 goal.

Morton's family is grieving his death. Scott's daughters, including the 13-year-old whose invitation brought him into the home, are now left to cope with everything they had seen and heard that night.

What Did Scott's Neighbors Say?

People living close to Scott did not respond with one united opinion. Even among neighbors who understood why a mother would be horrified, there was disagreement over what she allegedly did once Morton left the bedroom.

Gloria Milon, who lives in the Walker Homes neighborhood, remembered Scott as a kind person. She also expressed sympathy for the mother after learning that Morton had been found with one of her young daughters.

"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," Milon said.

Her words reflected the instinct many parents may recognize. Finding a 20-year-old man hidden under a 13-year-old's bed would be enough to provoke fear before anyone had time to understand the situation.

Another neighbor felt that fear did not justify taking a life. He believed Scott should have let the police handle Morton. "If it would've been me in that situation, and I had seen her on that doorbell camera, I would've called the police and had them sitting at my house when I got there," the unidentified neighbor said.

He then described the ending he believed should have occurred. "Therefore, you take him out, take him on to jail," he added.

That difference between removing Morton from the house and allegedly shooting him outside may become one of the most important parts of Scott's case.

She returned home as a mother who believed someone had crossed a boundary with her child. Before the night was over, Morton was dead, Scott was in police custody, and people nearby had heard the gunshot that changed both these families forever.