By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-22 23:30:58 | Updated at 2026-07-23 01:12:19
1 hour ago
The man allegedly shot to death by an enraged Tennessee mother who found him hiding under her 13-year-old daughter’s bed was mentally disabled, his old teacher shockingly claimed Tuesday – while the alleged murderer mom remained behind bars on first-degree murder charges.
Kendra Scott was slapped with $100,000 bail while facing a judge for the first time Monday, after she was arrested for allegedly shooting 20-year-old Rodderius Morton in the back of his head outside her Memphis home on Thursday, according to cops.
The 36-year-old mother told officers she came home at around 1:30 a.m. and “saw a dude under my kids’ bed.”
“And I did what I had to do,” she said, according to an arrest affidavit.
Her defense lawyer has called the situation “the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl” – but one of Morton’s old teachers claimed he likely didn’t know what he was doing was wrong.
“I’m very, very hurt, because the young man I knew — that most people, based off this story — they don’t him personally like I did,” Robin Perkins, who said she was Morton’s middle school “special needs teacher,” told local news outlet WREG.
Perkins, who didn’t elaborate on what kind of disabilities Morton had, described her former student as “soft-spoken and respectful” – and called his death “unbelievable,” according to the outlet.
The educator said she believed Morton may have thought the girl was older, or he didn’t understand the law. Either way, his mind didn’t work like a typical 20-year-old’s, she insisted.
“I do not condone his actions and going and mingling with a 13-year-old,” Perkins said. “However, when you’re cognitively not 20, what do you expect?”
“I just wish she never would’ve shot him. There were so many opportunities for her to stop and think,” the teacher continued, referring to Scott.
“There’s so many different ways that this could’ve had a different outcome. Call the police [or], if you got a gun, hold him there until the police get there.”
During her interview with the outlet, Perkins also claimed that Morton’s sister had told her that none of their family members realized he was gone from the house when the deadly incident unfolded.
Scott’s teen daughter told cops she invited Morton to her home at around 1 a.m., according to the arrest affidavit.
A seething Scott started pounding on the front door and bellowing, “Who’s at my house?!” when she arrived home around 30 minutes later, the affidavit states.
Her unidentified daughter grew terrified when she noticed her mom was allegedly holding a gun.
Scott had said that if she “sees a boy in my house I will put a hole in his ass,” the daughter told investigators, according to the affidavit.
The teen eventually let her mother inside, where Scott allegedly found Morton hiding under her bed, the court doc states.
“Get out of my house bitch,” she allegedly screamed, and followed Morton out the front door.
That’s when her daughter and a neighbor allegedly heard a gunshot ring out.
The neighbor later told police he came outside of his house and saw Scott, still holding the gun, standing by the man’s body – while admitting, “I shot him, I shot him,” according to the affidavit.
Officers recovered one spent shell casing on the front porch, as well as a Smith & Wesson black handgun, the document states.
Scott was taken to the police department for questioning, then charged with first degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to the Memphis Police Department.
“This incident started with the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl,” her lawyer, Blake Ballin, previously told The Post.
“Predictably, it ended in tragedy. One of the key questions in this case will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance,” the attorney added.
The case has drawn fierce debate online – with some people believe the shooting was justified, and others think the mom went too far.
Even Scott’s neighbors were divided on the issue.
“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,” Gloria Milon, who lives near Scott in the Walker Homes neighborhood of Memphis, told Action News 5.
Another nearby resident said the mom should have simply called 911.
“If it would’ve been me in that situation…I would’ve called the police and had them sitting at my house when I got there,” the unidentified neighbor told the outlet.
“Therefore, you take him out, take him on to jail,” he added.
Scott is due back in court on Aug. 3.
