William Billy Earl Morris, a 33-year-old White male from Brandon, Mississippi, was found deceased in his home on Highway 80 on the morning of August 27, 2025. An obituary celebrating his life noted he was born on Christmas Day in 1991. Rankin County Sheriff's Department deputies discovered him after responding to a 911 call about an unresponsive man.
Morris had sustained multiple gunshot wounds in what investigators quickly determined to be a targeted attack, not a random act of violence.
The investigation into Morris's death swiftly identified a person of interest, 35-year-old Matthew Brian Kidd. Investigators learned that earlier in August, Kidd's truck had broken down on Morris's property. An argument ensued when Kidd returned to retrieve his vehicle and accused Morris of taking items from it. In the days that followed, Kidd reportedly made threats against Morris's life. The situation escalated tragically when someone kicked in the front door of Morris's home and shot him multiple times.
Just two days after the discovery of Morris's body, Brandon police were called to another homicide scene where they found Christian Storey deceased from a gunshot wound after his front door had also been forced open. Investigators linked Kidd to both slayings. A manhunt for Kidd ended with his arrest at a hotel in Brandon, where a firearm was recovered from his room. During questioning, Kidd confessed to shooting both Morris and Storey.
Matthew Brian Kidd was charged with the murder of William Earl Morris and the subsequent murder of Christian Storey. In a courtroom filled with family members of both victims, Kidd pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder for the death of Morris and one count of murder for the death of Storey. Following his plea, a judge sentenced him to two concurrent life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
