Alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure, who identifies as a transgender man named Kalvin, was released on Thursday from the East Tennessee psychiatric facility where she was ordered to receive treatment before her case could move forward following a detention hearing held by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Chip Frensley.
McClure will now receive outpatient care while living at home with her parents, a location the court heard from the Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) Head of School is only blocks away from a bus stop used by its students.
Cameras at the Nashville school appeared to capture McClure (pictured above) walking across the campus and making obscene gestures in the days prior to her arrest. The accused cyberstalker is also accused of leaving a “disconcerting” message on the school phone system.
Both CPA parents and educators spoke about the effect of McClure’s alleged actions before the judge determined she would be released from Pasadena Villa. At this East Tennessee mental health facility, McClure has remained since June.
It was also revealed in the court hearing that prosecutors now allege McClure photographed a map of the CPA grounds while physically on the CPA campus and that she attempted to schedule tours at the Christian school before her arrest.
McClure’s release came despite FBI agents agents telling the judge McClure was headed toward violence prior to the intervention of law enforcement. The decision by Frensley to release McClure to her parents’ home despite prosecutors showing text messages that showed McClure expressed violent thoughts about them.
The former student of CPA is also alleged to have operated a social media account on the platform X, where she referenced Governor Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee.
“Also Bill Lee knows if he makes one wrong move it’s Joever for him and my 4th grade teacher… i.e., his WIFE,” the account wrote in an April post, published just days before her May arrest. The criminal complaint revealed McClure made the post on the same day Lee visited the CPA campus.
Also Bill Lee knows if he makes one wrong move it’s Joever for him and my 4th grade teacher… i.e., his WIFE.
— 009 (@KaiNumberNine) April 25, 2024
Frensley also heard from two mental health professionals at Pasadena Villa in Sevierville, Tennessee, who stated that McClure is progressing well in her treatment, is no longer delusional, is remorseful, and is now taking her medicine.
However, when questioned by prosecutors, the mental health professionals indicated they were not aware of the nature of the allegations against McClure nor of her prior statements about being sexually and physically abused by her parents.
One CPA parent told The Tennessee Star he asked the court to keep McClure in at the facility, arguing that because of the allegations against her, “I didn’t think there would be any response that could stop her if she was determined.”
The decision to release McClure came eight days after the attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where a 14-year-old student is accused of killing four and injuring nine after making references to school shootings hours before.
It also comes despite similarities between publicly available information about McClure and what is known about Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the biological woman who identified as transgender prior to her attack at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023.
Among other similarities, Hale and McClure both expressed a desire to transition from their biological female gender to the male gender, were born about one year apart, and attended elementary schools operated by Nashville churches affiliated with the Presbyterian Churches in America (PCA) at approximately the same time.
McClure was in court to determine the future of her treatment in late July when U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson issued a ruling that allowed greater freedom to the accused cyberstalker during her stay at the East Tennessee mental health facility.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “McKenzie McClure” by McKenzie McClure.
