District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway has officially cleared 27-year-old Todd Stanton in the December 2025 fatal shooting of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Professor Ashleigh E. McKinzie. The investigation revealed that McKinzie, who was wearing a plastic skull mask and brandishing a cocked handgun, was suffering from methamphetamine-induced paranoia when she ambushed Stanton’s vehicle on Smithville Highway.
DEKALB COUNTY, TN — A four-month investigation into the death of a prominent sociology professor has concluded with a sobering look into a “double life” fueled by narcotics and extreme paranoia. On April 1, 2026, District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway released the final report regarding the December 4, 2025, shooting of 41-year-old Ashleigh E. McKinzie. The report confirms that the shooter, 27-year-old Todd Stanton, acted in justifiable self-defense when he fired through his windshield to stop a masked, armed woman from boarding his truck.
The incident began at 4:47 a.m. as Stanton was driving to work. Surveillance footage from a nearby home captured McKinzie—dressed in coveralls and a plastic skull mask—stepping into the roadway and using hand gestures to stop Stanton’s vehicle. As she “speed walked” toward the truck with a cocked .380 caliber handgun aimed at him, Stanton retrieved his own firearm and fired several rounds through his windshield.
A Hidden Struggle with Addiction
While McKinzie was known to students and colleagues as an MTSU sociology professor, the TBI investigation uncovered a different reality. A longtime friend told investigators that McKinzie had been “strung out” on heavy drugs for over a year, frequently using methamphetamine, cocaine, and mushrooms.
This account was tragically corroborated by the Medical Examiner’s toxicology report, which found toxic levels of Methamphetamine (2300 ng/ml) and amphetamines in her system at the time of her death. These levels are consistent with extreme paranoia and auditory hallucinations—symptoms her current boyfriend noted had worsened in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
The “Wolf Mask” and False Stalking Claims
The investigation also debunked McKinzie’s claims that an ex-boyfriend was stalking her. Though she had reported seven instances of trespassing and attempted to get a protective order, police found zero evidence that her ex-boyfriend was ever on her property. Her paranoia had reached a point where she believed her “stalker” was wearing a wolf mask—ironic, as she was found wearing a skull mask during the ambush.
At the scene, investigators found McKinzie’s “stalking kit” in a backpack, which included night vision monoculars, multiple flashlights, and house keys belonging to MTSU and State buildings.
Final Determination
DA Dunaway stated that Todd Stanton was presented with an “imminent danger” to his life and that his use of deadly force was legally justified. No charges will be filed against Stanton, and the investigation is now officially closed.
Safety Tip: Firing from inside a vehicle presents unique challenges, most notably the “windshield effect,” where the glass can cause a bullet to deflect or fragment. This case is a remarkable example of a driver maintaining situational awareness during a pre-dawn ambush. If you are ever forced to stop your vehicle for an unidentified person in the roadway, keep your doors locked and windows up. If they brandish a firearm, your vehicle is your best source of cover—but also a trap. Firing through the windshield, as this driver did, is a high-stakes tactical decision that requires you to be certain of your target. As a concealed carry holder, practicing your “seated draw” and understanding how your specific firearm interacts with automotive glass can be life-saving skills in a carjacking or ambush scenario.
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