A man in Tennessee has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his grandmother with a hammer and taking her car, leaving his mother to find her body.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Fox 13 Memphis, and WREG, 23-year-old Kerrien Dates was arrested in Jackson, about 90 miles from the Memphis home he shared with his grandmother, after allegedly telling police, “I think I killed her.”
According to the Memphis Police Department (MPD), Kerrien’s mother arrived home on Wednesday, June 4, around 4:30 p.m. local time, to find her mother, 58-year-old Sonya Dates, lying on the ground with blood surrounding her and a hammer on the floor nearby.
According to an affidavit obtained by the Observer, the 23-year-old’s mother told investigators that her son had been living with Sonya, but after a recent argument, she decided to kick Kerrien out of the house for safety.
Sonya’s body was discovered with her backpack and lunch bag, as if she had just returned from work, according to the affidavit.
Sonya died at the scene after suffering four wounds from blunt force trauma to the back of her head, according to reports. Investigators also discovered that her 2020 Chevrolet Camaro was missing from outside her Memphis home, prompting an alert for a stolen vehicle.
Kerrien was later discovered driving the vehicle in Jackson on June 4. According to reports, when local police pulled him over and asked why he thought they had stopped him, he allegedly told them: “I hit Sonya in the head with a hammer and I think I killed her.”
He was arrested and later booked into the Shelby County Jail on Thursday, June 5.
Kerrien has been charged with first-degree murder and theft of property worth $10,000 to $60,000, according to media reports. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, June 9.
