Nashville shooter Audrey Hale’s parents have transferred ownership of her ‘manifesto’ to the families of Covenant School students who are battling to stop them being released.
The move effectively means the parents reeling from the 28-year-old shooter’s rampage, which killed six, are now working with the killer’s family to stop her voluminous writings being made public.
Hale, who was transgender, blasted into the private elementary school on the morning of March 27, and carried out the killing spree before Metro Nashville police shot her down.
She had written diaries, journals and drawings which freedom of information advocates are seeking to make public, but the school is fiercely opposed to.
Several politicians, a newspaper and gun-rights groups are seeking the release of Hale’s writings, arguing any potential changes to firearm regulations based on the shooting would not be fair without knowing more about Hale’s motives and mental state.
Doug Pierce, an attorney for the National Police Association, who is seeking to release the writings told Fox news: “One of the lawyers for the parents introduced a criminal defense lawyer who says that he represents the parents of the shooter.
“He said that the shooter died without having a will and therefore has no other heirs, so … he says [the writings] belong to the parents, and the parents are going to assign their interest in those writings to the school.”
However, Pierce countered: “If public officials take them into custody as part of their duties, which is what happened here when police took them, they become part of the public record.”
Students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney were killed, as well as school janitor Mike Hill, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and headmistress Katherine Koonce, who reportedly ran toward the shooter to try to protect the kids.
Last month, in an unprecedented move, Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles ruled 100 of The Covenant School’s 112 families had a right to intervene in the litigation, and said she would consider arguments from the families’ camp. The Covenant School and Covenant Presbyterian Church have also been allowed to weigh in.
The groups seeking access to the documents have since appealed Myles’ decision, and asked the judge to suspend proceedings pending the appeals process.
However, the Metro Nashville Police Department remains in control of the manifesto, regardless of who technically owns the file. And police have said Hale’s writings are part of an ongoing investigation, which could take another year.
A letter to MNPD Chief John Drake — signed by 66 Tennessee state House Republican Caucus members last month — also called for “the release of the perpetrator’s writings as well as relevant medical records and toxicology reports.”
State Rep. Jeremy Faison, House Republican Caucus Chair, has told The Post his group doesn’t “understand the apprehension” over releasing the material and pointed out that legislators are being asked to consider new gun-control legislation since the shooting without knowing the totality of Hale’s circumstances.
“It’s incumbent on us to understand all the ins and outs of what drove Audrey Hale to do what she did,” Faison said.
Gov. Lee had cited the Covenant shooting when urging new gun-control legislation, which would include background checks on mental health.
Lee announced in April his support of legislation calling for law enforcement and courts to temporarily confiscate guns from those found to pose “current and ongoing” risks of harm, The Tennessean reported.
“To be specific, I’m proposing that we improve our state’s law so that it protects more Tennesseans and reaches more individuals who are struggling and in need of mental health support,” Lee said.
Under the proposed law, people deemed risks to others or themselves would have their firearms taken for up to 180 days.
Police have said Hale had an “emotional disorder,” but have not specified which kind, and have not released details of a motive in the March killing spree.