Kendra ScottThe 36-year-old told police earlier this month that she “did what (she) had to do.” And what she did was allegedly fatally shoot a man she found under her 13-year-old daughter’s bed. The story sparked a debate on social media about who was right and who was wrong. Here’s what we know about how the 20-year-old Roderius Morton died and what’s next for the Memphis mom who allegedly killed him.
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A Memphis mom found a man under her 13-year-old’s bed
According to court documents cited by Fox NewsKendra Scott previously told a witness to the crime that she would “punch a hole” in the head of any boy she saw in her house. That witness is believed to be Scott’s 13-year-old daughter. It turned out that exactly this happened on July 17. Officers responded to a shooting at a home on Travis Road where they found a man dead outside Scott’s driveway. He had a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Authorities have reportedly identified the man as Roderius Morton. He did not have a weapon at the time of the shooting.
“I saw a dude under my baby’s bed and I did what I had to do,” Kendra Scott told police after the incident.
The same witness at the scene mentioned above told investigators that the Memphis mom arrived home between 1:30 a.m. and 1:40 p.m., according to Fox News and NewsNation. When she arrived, she allegedly began banging on the front door and yelling, “Who’s at my house?” The juvenile eventually let Kendra into the home, and she discovered Morton, 20, hiding under her daughter’s bed. As Morton prepared to leave the house, he and Scott allegedly got into an argument. She allegedly screamed, “Get out of my house, bitch!” and just as they both reached the porch, a shot rang out. Morton entered the residence around 1 a.m. through a back door after allegedly being invited.
Kendra Scott Bond has been set at $100,000 following the fatal shooting
Kendra Scott appeared in court on Monday (July 20), NewsNation reports. In the end, the judge set her bail at $100,000. Prosecutors charged a 36-year-old man with first-degree murder and using a firearm during the commission of a dangerous crime. Meanwhile, her defense attorney, Blake Ballin, said it was unclear to them whether the “Stand Your Ground” law would apply.
“I don’t know enough about what led up to the actual shooting. I don’t know if there was a fight, I don’t know if there was an accidental discharge, I just don’t know,” Ballin told Fox News.
Kendra Scott is also banned from having any contact with Morton’s family. She is due back in court on August 3. for Fox 12/KPTV.
A former teacher Roderius Morton speaks out
Robin Perkins is reportedly a special needs educator who previously taught Roderius Morton. She talked to WOMAN about her experience with him, describing him as a former student with special needs who was sweet. Perkins shared her belief that Kendra Scott could have handled the situation differently, in a way that would have prevented Morton’s death. She also claimed that Morton’s death shocked her. To her, he was a quiet, respectful child who had been diagnosed with learning disabilities. However, she denied supporting his liaison with a 13-year-old girl.
“Unbelievably, very, very hurtful. Because the young man that I knew, most people, based on this story, don’t know a young man like me,” Robin Perkins said. “I’m not condoning his actions in going and mixing with a 13-year-old. However, if you’re under 20, what do you expect? And then I found out last night from his sister that no one knew he left the house.”
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What do you think numbers?
