Police reportedly arrested the owner of a notorious Tennessee-based haunted house Friday, and he has since been charged with attempted second-degree murder, rape and domestic assault.
Russ Alan McKamey was arrested in his Summertown home after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on two occasions, according to The Tennessean, who cited a Lawrence County arrest affidavit. Investigators say McKamey allegedly strangled the victim to the point she lost consciousness July 17, WKRN reported. He’s accused of then raping and strangling her on the Friday he was arrested.
McKamey’s bond currently sits at more than $100,000, and he has been ordered to have no contact with his alleged victim.
Petition Launched To Close Extreme Haunted House, ‘It Is Seriously Just Torture Porn’ https://t.co/GZLIdhGXBc #Uncategorized #FoxNews via @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/A3FuyUvSmr
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) October 31, 2019
McKamey owns a haunted house attraction that he operates out of his home called McKamey Manor. The businesses has been called a “torture chamber,” where guests are dragged by chains and confined in small spaces while water pours in. (RELATED: Police Charge Man After He Allegedly Shoots Haunted House Performer)
Participants are reportedly asked to sign a waiver, clear a background check, pass a doctor’s physical and mental exam and spend up to 10 hours at the attraction, according to USA Today. The entire experience is filmed and then shared online. Some reports claim people may have to pull out their own teeth and that there’s even a chance of death.
The haunted house opened in California but was shut down over public outcry before moving to Tennessee, the state’s assistant attorney general Kristine Knowles noted. An online petition posted in 2019 sought to close the Tennessee location, too.
