A Tennessee mother accused of shooting a man she discovered hiding beneath her 13-year-old daughter’s bed has appeared in court, as legal experts question whether she can successfully claim self-defense.
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Kendra Scott, of Memphis, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 16 death of Rodderius Morton. According to investigators, officers found Morton in the front yard suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Police say Scott admitted to the shooting, telling officers she came home, found “a dude under my kid’s bed,” and believed she “did what I had to do.”
Court documents allege Scott’s daughter told investigators she had invited Morton into the home during the early morning hours. The affidavit also claims the teenager recalled her mother previously warning that if she ever found a boy inside the house, she would shoot him.
Scott made her first court appearance on July 20, where a judge set her bond at $100,000. She remains charged with first-degree murder as the case moves forward.
Retired law enforcement officer and self-defense expert Buddy Smith told local media that the facts outlined in the arrest affidavit may complicate a self-defense argument because investigators have not alleged Morton threatened Scott or anyone else at the time of the shooting. Whether Scott’s actions were legally justified will ultimately be decided in court.
Meanwhile, Morton’s former special education teacher described him as a young man with special needs and said, while she did not support his alleged contact with a 13-year-old, she believed the situation should not have ended in his death.
Scott’s attorney argued the case began with “the worst nightmare of any parent,” saying a central issue at trial will be whether a reasonable person could act rationally after discovering an unknown man hiding under their child’s bed.
