Memphis mother charged murder after shooting man under bed

A Memphis mother has been charged with first-degree murder after she fatally shot a man she discovered hiding under her 13-year-old daughter's bed in the early hours of July 16. Kendra Scott, 36, is accused of killing 20-year-old Rodderius Morton outside her home in the 3000 block of Travis Road.

According to an arrest affidavit, police responded to a shooting call shortly before 2 a.m. on July 16 and found Morton unresponsive in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers detained Scott, who allegedly told them, "I saw a dude under my kids bed," and "I did what I had to do." A neighbor reported hearing a gunshot and then seeing Scott standing in the yard holding a firearm and saying, "I shot him, I shot him."

Investigators learned from Scott's daughter that she had invited Morton into the home without her mother's knowledge, with accounts placing his arrival between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. The juvenile told police her mother returned home soon after, knocking loudly on the door and shouting, "Who's at my house?" The daughter said she was afraid to open the door because Scott was visibly angry and holding a gun. She...