Father Sh00ts His Son 12 Times After He Saw What He Did To His Mother | HO”

I. A QUIET SUBURB, A SUDDEN VIOLENCE

On the afternoon of October 17, 2023, a peaceful cul-de-sac in suburban Atlanta erupted in gunfire. Neighbors described hearing “a rapid burst of shots,” twelve in total, each one sharper and more frantic than the last. Within minutes, 911 calls flooded dispatchers.

Inside the two-story brick home at the end of the street, police officers found a scene so emotionally fraught, so layered with betrayal and family fracture, that even veteran detectives struggled to process it.

On the bedroom floor lay 20-year-old Kendrick Morris, shot multiple times. A trail of blood led from the center of the room toward the door, where investigators concluded he had attempted to crawl away. Shell casings—twelve of them—were scattered across the hardwood.

Sitting downstairs on the living room couch, hands folded, waiting for police, was 53-year-old Deshawn Morris, a respected construction project manager, homeowner, church volunteer, and until that day, a man with no criminal history.

When officers approached, he looked up and said calmly:

“I shot my son. He’s upstairs.”

Within 24 hours, this would become one of Georgia’s most talked-about homicide cases of the decade—not because of gang involvement, drugs, or random violence, but because of the profoundly personal betrayal that investigators say pushed a devoted father beyond the limits of human restraint.

II. THE MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM

To understand how a man with no violent past could pull the trigger twelve times—each shot a deliberate choice—investigators began by reconstructing the life of Deshawn Morris.

Born and raised on Atlanta’s south side, Deshawn grew up without a father. His mother held multiple jobs, leaving him to navigate adolescence largely on his own. Hardship taught him discipline, and by adulthood, he had built a steady career in construction. Co-workers described him as “the backbone of the operation”—punctual, focused, dependable.

He married in his early forties, divorced a few years later, and threw himself back into work until meeting Nia Carter, a 27-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative, at a networking event in 2016. Their age gap raised eyebrows, but those close to them said they seemed genuinely committed.

They married in 2017, and for several years, the couple appeared to lead an unremarkable, stable suburban life. They drove to church together on Sundays, hosted cookouts in the summer, and posted smiling family photos online.

But the biggest decision of their marriage would come not from their own desires, but from a young boy in the foster care system.

III. A BOY WITHOUT A HOME FINDS ONE

In 2018, Nia raised the idea of fostering a child. She was uncertain about pregnancy; Deshawn was hesitant about starting over in parenthood at forty-nine. But after discussions with social workers and a series of training sessions, they met Kendrick, a ten-year-old who had been moved through four foster homes.

His file was thick: behavioral issues, abandonment trauma, difficulty bonding with adults. During their first meeting, he sat with crossed arms and avoided eye contact—classic indicators of self-protection after repeated disappointment.

But something resonated with Deshawn.

“He reminded me of me at that age,” he told a friend later. “A kid who needed someone to fight for him.”

Over the next two years, Deshawn did exactly that. They worked through school challenges, therapy sessions, and long evenings at the kitchen table spent trying to rebuild trust in authority.

In 2020, the adoption became official.

To the outside world, the story seemed heartwarming: a child who finally found a father figure, and a man who finally found the family he longed for.

But inside the home, dynamics were shifting—gradually, subtly, almost imperceptibly.

And over time, the lines that once protected the family’s foundation began to blur.

IV. THE SLOW COLLAPSE OF A MARRIAGE

By 2021, as Kendrick adjusted to high school and started thriving academically and socially, Deshawn’s workload intensified. Promotion brought money, but also late nights, early mornings, and mounting exhaustion.

“He’d work twelve hours a day sometimes,” Nia later admitted in court testimony. “He was there, but he wasn’t really present.”

Neighbors observed that Nia often arrived home to an empty house, spent evenings alone scrolling through her phone, or passed long stretches in silence at the kitchen table.

By contrast, Kendrick—now tall, confident, athletic—was around more often. He would tell Nia about his basketball games, his friends, and his plans. Their conversations sometimes lasted longer than the ones she had with her husband.

It was a dynamic that social workers warn about in adoptive households: emotional displacement. When one parent becomes distant—whether from stress, overwork, or withdrawal—the other household members may fill the gap in unhealthy ways.

Still, no one foresaw what would come next.

Not the neighbors.
Not their extended family.
Not even Deshawn.

V. THE FIRST BOUNDARY CROSSED

According to testimony later revealed in court, the turning point began with a small, seemingly harmless interaction.

One evening in early 2023, Kendrick lingered in the kitchen after practice, talking with Nia as she cooked. He made an offhand remark implying she deserved more attention than Deshawn provided. It was inappropriate but ambiguous enough to be brushed aside.

But it planted a seed.

Investigators believe that moment—an emotional shift, a subtle unveiling of interest—marked the beginning of a months-long process in which boundaries eroded and roles within the home shifted catastrophically.

Within several weeks, according to phone records and interviews, Kendrick began to show up at the house when Deshawn was at work. The first time, he claimed he needed a school item. The second time, he lingered. The third time, the nature of the visits changed entirely.

Court documents describe an inappropriate, clandestine relationship that developed between Kendrick and Nia. Experts later framed it as a convergence of emotional neglect, power imbalance, and mutual rationalization—not an excuse, but an explanation.

For months, the affair continued in secret.

And not just outside the home.
Inside it.
In private rooms.
In spaces deeply personal to Deshawn.

And most devastatingly, without even the slightest suspicion on the part of the man who had opened his life to both of them.

VI. THE DISCOVERY

The moment of revelation came unexpectedly.

On a late September afternoon, Deshawn told Nia he would be working late. Instead, haunted by a growing sense of unease, he left work early and drove home unannounced.

Kendrick’s car was parked discreetly down the street.

Inside the house, music was playing upstairs. Laughter. Movement. Deshawn climbed the stairs, each step heavy, the dread intensifying. When he approached the guest bedroom, the door was ajar.

In statements later given to police, Deshawn described that moment as a “collapse inside the brain.” The instinctive denial—this can’t be happening—gave way to a reality so brutal he could barely process it.

His wife and his adopted son were together.

What followed—an argument, a confrontation, tears, shock—ended with Deshawn ordering them both out of the home.

Neighbors reported hearing shouting. A door slamming. A car peeling away.

But the emotional consequences would take much longer to fully manifest.

VII. TWO WEEKS OF UNRAVELING

Over the next fourteen days, Deshawn’s life spiraled.

He stopped going to work.
He withdrew from friends and family.
He barely ate.

He spent his days combing through old text logs, credit card statements, and cloud backups. What he found—messages, hotel receipts, photos—confirmed that the affair had begun far earlier than Nia had admitted.

The humiliation was compounded by a series of text exchanges between Nia and Kendrick that investigators later described as “taunting in tone.” They joked about Deshawn’s work hours, his personality, even the fact that he suspected nothing.

At one point, Kendrick wrote:
“Had breakfast with him today. He kept talking about you like he knows you. Pathetic.”

Nia responded:
“Just a few more months and we won’t have to pretend.”

When police read these messages aloud in court, Deshawn reportedly put his head in his hands.

Even the judge paused, silent for several seconds.

The emotional devastation was documented in the defense’s psychological evaluation: sleep loss, depression, extreme humiliation, intrusive thoughts, and a growing sense of obsessive rumination—all culminating in the day of the shooting.

VIII. THE FINAL TRIGGER

On Tuesday afternoon, October 17th, Deshawn was at work when his phone buzzed with a doorbell camera alert.

It showed Kendrick walking up to the house.

The prosecution later argued that Deshawn should have called police, left work calmly, or stayed away. The defense countered that he was not thinking rationally, that he believed Kendrick had returned to reclaim the space he had violated.

Twelve minutes later, Deshawn pulled into his driveway.

Inside the house, he found Kendrick upstairs—in the master bedroom, going through Nia’s belongings. Prosecutors could never determine whether Kendrick had been asked to retrieve anything or went of his own accord, but they emphasized that his presence violated a previously issued no-entry order.

What happened next was pieced together from Deshawn’s recorded confession, forensic analysis, and the physical arrangement of the scene.

There was a confrontation.
Raised voices.
An exchange of accusations.

At one point, Kendrick reportedly told him:

“You were never enough for her.”
“She deserves better.”
“I’m not your son.”

Those words—echoed repeatedly during the trial—were described by one forensic psychiatrist as “psychologically catastrophic” for a man in Deshawn’s emotional state.

And then Deshawn opened the nightstand drawer.

Where the gun was kept.

IX. TWELVE SHOTS

The prosecution emphasized that Deshawn had time to reconsider. That each trigger pull represented a conscious decision.

The defense argued that the shootings were the culmination of extreme emotional dysregulation caused by betrayal, humiliation, and a sudden confrontation inside the marital bedroom.

Forensic analysis showed:

The first bullet struck Kendrick in the shoulder.

He fell, tried to crawl away.

Subsequent shots hit his torso and back.

The final shots were fired when he was already incapacitated.

The medical examiner described the pattern as consistent with a “rage event,” not an execution.

Downstairs, the 911 call lasted less than a minute.

“I shot my son,” Deshawn repeated.
“He’s upstairs. I think he’s dead.”

He did not flee.
He did not resist arrest.
He did not ask for a lawyer.

He simply waited.

X. THE INVESTIGATION

The homicide unit spent months collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, reviewing digital communications, and reconstructing the timeline.

Key findings included:

Thousands of text messages between Nia and Kendrick

Images suggesting an inappropriate relationship predating Kendrick’s 18th birthday

Location data showing repeated visits to the home when Deshawn was away

Statements from friends confirming the affair

Psychological evaluations concluding Deshawn’s mental state was “severely compromised”

Prosecutors initially considered charging him with first-degree murder, arguing premeditation.

But they faced a challenge: juries are often sympathetic toward defendants who experience extreme emotional betrayal.

The defense prepared a voluntary manslaughter / crime of passion argument.

The final charge: second-degree murder.

XI. THE TRIAL EVERYONE WATCHED

The courtroom was packed throughout the proceedings.

The prosecution’s case focused on:

The two-week gap between discovery and shooting

The number of shots fired

The belief that Deshawn went home intending to kill

Kendrick’s status as an adopted minor until recently

The ethical concerns surrounding adult-son/stepmother relationships

The defense centered on:

Betrayal severe enough to destabilize judgment

The unexpected confrontation in the marital bedroom

Kendrick’s provocative statements

Deshawn’s previously clean history

The psychological evaluation showing a breakdown

When Nia testified, her demeanor drew criticism from observers. She cried intermittently but avoided direct responsibility. She admitted the relationship but framed it as “consensual between adults.”

She was asked directly:

“Did you consider the familial power dynamic?”
“No,” she whispered. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Kendrick’s biological mother attended one day, causing a brief outburst directed at Nia before being removed by bailiffs.

The jury deliberated eight hours.

Their conclusion:

Not premeditated

Not justified

Not excusable

But not cold-blooded murder either

Guilty of second-degree murder.

XII. SENTENCING

During sentencing, the judge acknowledged the complexity:

“This is one of the most emotionally complicated cases this court has ever seen.
Betrayal does not justify homicide.
But betrayal can push a person to the brink.”

Deshawn received:

25 years in state prison
with eligibility for parole in 15 years.

His expression remained blank as the sentence was read.

According to his brother:

“It wasn’t the prison time that broke him. It was the idea that the boy he raised, the boy he loved, took everything from him—and he let rage take the rest.”

XIII. AFTERMATH
Nia Carter

Left Georgia. Changed her name. Removed her online presence. Her family declined all interview requests.

Kendrick’s Biological Family

Held a small memorial service. Some relatives blamed Deshawn; others blamed the system, noting Kendrick’s childhood trauma.

Deshawn

Now spends his days in a medium-security prison. He participates in counseling, maintains a clean record, and avoids conflict.

A chaplain said:

“He talks a lot about remorse. But also about feeling like his life was taken from him before he ever pulled the trigger.”

XIV. EXPERT ANALYSIS: HOW DOES A FAMILY DISINTEGRATE LIKE THIS?

Psychologists and criminologists interviewed by this publication identified several contributing factors:

1. Emotional Neglect & Overwork

Long work hours created vulnerability in the marital dynamic.

2. Attachment Trauma

Kendrick’s early childhood abandonment likely contributed to unstable emotional boundaries.

3. Power Imbalance

Despite being legally an adult, Kendrick had been raised under parental authority. The relationship with Nia violated healthy familial norms.

4. Betrayal Trauma

Discovery of spousal infidelity is one of the strongest predictors of acute psychological destabilization.

5. Crisis Confrontation

The confrontation occurring in the marital bedroom—an emotionally symbolic space—heightened the intensity.

XV. THE HUMAN COST

Three lives ended or permanently changed:

Kendrick, dead at 20

Deshawn, incarcerated until his late 60s

Nia, living under a new identity, carrying the guilt of a collapsed family

Neighbors still speak in hushed tones about the day the sirens came.

A retired detective summed it up:

“This wasn’t a murder out of nowhere.

It was the final explosion of a house full of emotional gasoline.”

XVI. THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION

Would any other man have reacted differently?

Would counseling, separation, or intervention have prevented this?

Or was this tragedy inevitable the moment the boundaries broke?

The justice system answered with a prison sentence.

But the deeper question—the one that lingers long after the verdict—is this:

How much betrayal can a person absorb before something inside them breaks?

XVII. CONCLUSION

The story of Deshawn, Nia, and Kendrick is not just a tale of homicide. It is a cautionary narrative about secrecy, emotional neglect, broken norms, and the catastrophic consequences of choices made behind closed doors.

In the end, no one won.

A young man lost his life.
A father lost his future.
A mother lost everything she once claimed to love.

And a quiet Georgia neighborhood will forever remember the afternoon when the truth behind a family’s façade erupted into violence that could never be undone.

Twelve shots.
Twelve moments of irreversible consequence.
One family destroyed.