A Shelby County grand jury has indicted two men on first-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Kendruss Moore, who was gunned down on his own porch in South Memphis's South City neighborhood in June. Michael Wallace and Jetarius Young now face charges of premeditated murder and murder committed during a robbery, exposing both men to the harshest penalties available under Tennessee law.
According to Action News 5, investigators say surveillance video captured a black Toyota Camry, driven by a man in a white T-shirt, circling the area for about 15 minutes before parking in the alley behind Moore's house. Per the affidavit cited in the station's report, two armed men then got out, came around the front of the house, and chased Moore down, firing as he sat on his porch. Moore was struck and later died at Regional One Hospital.
The shooting happened in the 700 block of Ioka Avenue, a stretch of South Memphis near McKinley Street and Elmwood Cemetery, according to News-Herald.
Surveillance Images Led to a Break in the Case
Nine days after the shooting, Memphis Police publicly released surveillance images asking the community to help identify two men seen fleeing the scene, per localmemphis.com. The appeal eventually paid off: the station's report notes that a Crime Stoppers tip identified Jetarius Young as one of the suspects, per the affidavit. Young's ex-girlfriend also told investigators that he had admitted to committing the murder, the same account states.
Young was arrested on July 31. He was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, the report notes.
Grand Jury Returns Dual Murder Charges
Before the indictment, Young was held to state following an August 28 preliminary hearing, where Assistant District Attorney Jackson Phillips presented evidence establishing probable cause on the murder and firearm charges, according to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office. Co-defendant Michael Wallace was previously held to state in a separate proceeding, the office says. The case was then sent to the grand jury, which ultimately returned an indictment charging both men with first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Young alone faces the additional charge of employing a firearm during a dangerous felony.
Tennessee's felony murder statute allows prosecutors to charge a killing committed during a robbery as first-degree murder without proving a separate, premeditated intent to kill, according to Justia Law. The statute lists death, life without parole, and life imprisonment as possible sentences for a first-degree murder conviction.
Case Developments
The indictment arrives as Memphis officials tout improving numbers on violent crime. The Memphis Police Department's Homicide Bureau reported an 81% homicide clearance rate in the second quarter of 2026, up sharply from 47% during the same period in 2025, the department said.
Open questions in the case include specific trial dates, any defense statements, and whether additional physical evidence or stolen property was recovered during the investigation.
