A charging document describes an invited visit, a bedroom hiding place and an argument that continued as Rodderius Morton left the home.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Witness statements included in a charging document provide a more detailed timeline of the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Rodderius Morton, whose death led Memphis police to charge a homeowner with first-degree murder.
Kendra Scott, 36, is accused of shooting Morton after finding him beneath a bed inside a residence in the 3000 block of Travis Road. Police arrested Scott at the scene early Thursday and charged her with first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
The account in the charging document begins before Scott arrived at the home. A girl at the residence told investigators that Morton had been invited inside and entered through the back door at about 1 a.m. The document does not identify the girl or state her age.
Scott arrived roughly 30 minutes later and began knocking loudly at the front door, according to the girl’s statement. The girl said Scott was yelling and asking who was inside the residence. Morton then hid beneath a bed in the girl’s room.
The girl told investigators that she was afraid to open the door because Scott appeared angry and was carrying a firearm. She eventually allowed Scott into the home, the charging document says.
Scott found Morton beneath the bed, and an argument followed as he tried to leave, according to the witness account. The dispute moved out of the bedroom and toward the front of the residence. The girl said Morton reached the porch before she heard a single gunshot.
Police were called at about 1:50 a.m. Officers found Morton wounded near the front porch. He had been shot in the back of the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports citing the charging document.
A neighbor offered investigators another account of the moments surrounding the shooting. He said he heard banging and went outside, where he saw Morton near the porch. The neighbor reported that Scott was standing in the yard with a gun and repeatedly said she had shot him.
Scott also made a statement to responding officers about finding a man beneath her children’s bed. Her reported statement did not explain what happened during the confrontation or describe an immediate threat at the time the shot was fired.
Authorities have not publicly said whether Morton was armed, whether a weapon belonging to him was found or what evidence led prosecutors to pursue a first-degree murder charge. The Police Department’s announcement confirmed the arrest and charges but did not provide the fuller witness timeline.
The competing details will be examined as the criminal case moves forward. Scott remained jailed without bond in the latest available report. The allegations against her have not been proven in court.
Author note: Last updated July 18, 2026.