Kendell Morris drove from Houston to Arlington to shoot the mother of his child’s new boyfriend in 2020.
via: Complex
Morris reportedly drove to a residence where he believed that the boyfriend lived. Prosecutors claim that Morris made the trip with the intent on killing the man.
According to court details reviewed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Morris never met the new boyfriend and the only physical description he had of him was that he was “a Black man with dreadlocks.”
Thanks to the Arlington Police Department for their work on this case and for their commitment to keeping our community safe. pic.twitter.com/ewYvnNmn8S
— Tarrant County CDA (@TarrantCountyDA) December 20, 2023
“He thought he saw the boyfriend and opened fire, killing Robert Cooley III, 24, who was not the boyfriend,” wrote Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells in a news release.
The murder reportedly happened in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Morris was eventually arrested in Madisonville (160 miles south of Arlington) by a trooper. An AR-15 rifle was discovered inside of his car, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Morris was sentenced on Wednesday to 27 years in prison by a Tarrant County jury.
Per an online obituary, Cooley was an “exceptional” athlete, and musician with hopes of “becoming big in the music industry.” Prior to his death, he published music under the username Cooley03.
