Murder victim’s sister testifies in trial of Tyler man
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) — Testimony continued Wednesday in the murder trial of a Tyler man accused of fatally shooting one person and injuring another during an October 2025 confrontation outside his home.
Kendrick Ross faces charges of murder in the death of 32-year-old Demonta Jaquis Brown and aggravated assault in the shooting injury of Brown’s sister, Autumn Pierce. Ross contends he acted in self-defense.
Sister testifies about missing purse dispute
Pierce, the state’s key witness, testified Wednesday that she had a brief relationship with Ross prior to the shooting.
According to Pierce, she misplaced her purse near Ross’s home the day before the shooting. A physical altercation followed, during which Pierce testified Ross’s sister took the purse. Law enforcement responded to the scene, and officers issued Pierce a criminal trespass warning after she admitted to striking and denting Ross’s vehicle.
Pierce testified she later returned to the property with her brother and several friends. When the group encountered Ross near his car, a friend asked about the missing purse, and Ross permitted them to look inside the vehicle.
Defense questions group’s behavior before gunfire
During cross-examination, defense attorney Justin Carmichael questioned Pierce about whether her group acted as the aggressors.
Pierce acknowledged streaming a Facebook Live video earlier that night titled “I want smoke rn.” When questioned by prosecutors and the defense about whether anyone in her party assaulted Ross, Pierce testified she was uncertain because another vehicle arrived and drew her attention.
“Six people in his yard at 2 a.m.? That’s not a reason to be threatened?” Carmichael asked.
Pierce testified she was walking back to a truck when gunfire erupted. The court briefly paused proceedings as Pierce cried while recalling the moment she realized she was hit.
“I just kept telling everybody in the car — I’m shot, I’m shot,” Pierce said, testifying that bullet fragments remain lodged in her thigh.
Jurors also heard from Dr. Monty Putman, an emergency room physician at Christus Mother Frances Hospital who treated Pierce and presented photographs of her wounds. Putman is the brother of Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman, who conducted the direct examination.
Victim’s widow recounts physical altercation
Brown’s widow took the stand Wednesday afternoon, testifying that Ross allowed her to search his vehicle when the group arrived at the home.
She testified that after she found nothing inside the car, Pierce slapped Ross and her cousin punched Ross multiple times.
According to the widow, Brown intervened and pulled the cousin away from Ross.
“He had nothing to do with it,” she said of her husband.
The widow testified that the group was walking back to their vehicle when she heard gunshots.
Copyright 2026 KLTV. All rights reserved.