Texas Man Going To Prison After Killing Man He Thought Was Boyfriend Of Child’s Mother

In 2020, Kendell Morris, 26, traveled over 250 miles from Houston to Arlington to kill who he thought was the new boyfriend of his child's mother. He was wrong.

A man in Texas was just sentenced to almost three decades in prison for killing a man whom he thought was the boyfriend of his baby’s mother. According to Law & Crime, 26-year-old Kendell Morris traveled over 250 miles from Houston to Arlington on May 4, 2020, to kill the wrong man.

He never saw a photo of the boyfriend. All he had was a description, so he ended up killing Robert Cooley III, who happened to have dreds and was dark-skinned.

On Wednesday, Dec. 20, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Morris to 27 years in a state correctional facility for one count of murder.

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

Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells said Morris drove that distance to shoot and kill the wrong man.

“He thought he saw the boyfriend and opened fire, killing Robert Cooley III, 24, who was not the boyfriend,” Sorrells said.

Court records revealed Morris and the actual boyfriend had several “adversarial conversations” on the phone before Morris drove to Arlington.

A witness who lived with the unnamed boyfriend told police officers that early in the morning on May 4, 2020, a 2008 white Nissan Altima had been parked at the apartment complex where the shooting happened, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The witness saw Cooley walking through the parking lot and then heard several gunshots, and then saw Cooley lying on the ground as the Altima drove away.

A Texas State trooper arrested Morris and another man who was with him. Authorities retrieved an AR-15 rifle from Morris’ vehicle.

The man who accompanied Morris to purchase ammunition and drove with him from Houston to Arlington was initially charged with murder, but the district attorney’s office dropped the charge, KDFW reported.