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Attempted murder and rape charges dropped against McKamey Manor owner

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Multiple felony charges against the owner of a Middle Tennessee haunted attraction known for its intense intimidation tactics were dropped earlier this week.

Court records show Russ Alan McKamey was charged with attempted second-degree murder, rape and domestic violence after he was arrested July 19 at his Summertown home. According to police, McKamey was accused of assaulting his girlfriend on more than one occasion.

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An affidavit alleged that McKamey raped and strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness. However, on Monday, September 23, all charges against McKamey were dropped following a court hearing in Lawrence County.

McKamey's attorney, Davis Griffin, provided News 2 with a statement following the decision. District Attorney Brent Cooper also confirmed that he has decided not to prosecute McKamey on this charge. In Griffin's statement, he said Cooper spent two hours reviewing evidence before “concluding that there is no criminal offense against Mr. McKamey in this case.”

“General Cooper met personally with Mr. McKamey's accuser and considered her allegations and responses to our evidence before making this decision,” Griffin said. “Mr. McKamey is grateful for the care and professionalism of both the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and General Cooper in handling this case.”

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Griffin further stated that “the enthusiasm surrounding these and other allegations against Mr. McKamey is wholly uninformed” and pointed to the outcome of the case as a potential indicator of the validity of other allegations against his client. His full statement can be found below.

Brent Cooper – who has been a prosecutor for his entire 24-year career and the elected district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District for the past 10 years – spent two hours personally reviewing key evidence from our investigation of this case before reaching his conclusion There was no criminal offense against Mr McKamey in this case. General Cooper met personally with Mr. McKamey's accuser and considered her allegations and responses to our evidence before making this decision. Mr. McKamey is grateful for the care and professionalism of both the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and General Cooper in handling this case.

Regrettably, the enthusiasm generated by these and other allegations against Mr. McKamey is wholly uninformed. There is also a clear trend in our culture to exploit “victim” status for attention and relevance, which makes dedicating resources to justice for real victims more difficult than it should be. The saddest thing is that there is still a group of confused people who have nothing better to do with their lives than harass Mr. McKamey and monitor his every move.

Anyone assessing the merits of other allegations against Mr. McKamey should give strong consideration to the outcome of this case and the credibility of those who instigated it, which includes several people featured in the 2023 Hulu documentary about Mr. McKamey can be seen and which also serve as sources for the ongoing case investigations by the Attorney General.

Davis Griffin, attorney for Russ McKamey

McKamey became known in Middle Tennessee because of the controversy surrounding his operation of McKamey Manor. In 2017, after moving from San Diego, McKamey began offering adventure-seekers the opportunity to tour the mansion on his Summertown property.

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While the mansion is marketed as a haunted attraction, some instead refer to it as a “torture chamber.” A 2023 Hulu documentary titled “Monster Inside: America's Most Extreme Haunted House” explored the participants' experiences. Some claimed, among other questionable practices, that there is no way to stop the tour.

The documentary included footage of the tours recorded by McKamey and posted online. Some videos show people being dragged by chains or locked in small spaces while water pours in.

In 2019, before the Hulu documentary, thousands of people signed a petition to close McKamey Manor. Officers have also been called to the property several times in the past, with a criminal investigator from the 22nd Judicial District Attorney's Office interviewing McKamey in March 2018.

Nevertheless, no criminal action has ever been taken against McKamey directly related to the practices at the mansion. However, the controversy has led to an investigation by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and several subsequent lawsuits.

Petition to close the “torture chamber” in Lawrence County, Tennessee

Shortly after the release of the Hulu documentary last October, Skrmetti sent a letter to McKamey requesting various documents and information regarding some of the claims made by previous participants.

In his letter, Skrmetti raised concerns about McKamey's “business practices,” particularly taking issue with claims that there was no way to stop the tour or win the $20,000 prize offered to those who complete it by the create an end.

McKamey responded by filing a 32-page lawsuit against the Tennessee attorney general a few months later. In the lawsuit, McKamey alleged that the attorney general's request not only violated his First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, but was also part of a larger effort to prevent him from “conducting lawfully on his private property.”

Court records show the lawsuit was dismissed in August, but McKamey's lawyers have filed a motion asking the court to reconsider it. In April, McKamey filed another lawsuit. This time against Hulu and a former participant who was interviewed for the documentary.

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The streaming service was later dismissed from the lawsuit, but there is ongoing litigation against the person interviewed for the documentary.

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