‘I’m scared for my life’: Court petitions detail MTSU professor’s experiences before her death

Editor’s note: This story discusses domestic violence, which includes descriptions of violent acts. Reader discretion is advised.

Days before an MTSU professor died on Smithville Highway, court records show she tried and failed to obtain an order of protection petition in DeKalb County.

Before the incident on Dec. 4, 2025, MTSU professor Ashleigh McKinzie, 41, filed two orders of protection petitions and order for hearing petitions. Both of those efforts failed, according to court documents obtained by Sidelines

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