Covenant school shooter’s writings won’t be released: judge

A Nashville judge ruled Thursday that the writings of the school shooter who killed three children and three adults last year will not be released, according to New York Times. This decision is in keeping with the wishes of the families of the surviving children. The judge will allow the police reports, with the sections on school safety redacted, to be released when they are ready.

The shooter, Aiden Hale (born Audrey Hale), who was 28 at the time, entered the Covenant School in Nashville shortly after 10 a.m. on March 27, 2023, and began shooting. Police killed Hale before 10:30 a.m. Leaked writings in the months after the shooting suggested that Hale had planned the attack and even described it as a “day to die.”

Times reports that the decision to release Hale’s other writings has been challenged in court since the shooting. Survivors and school officials say releasing the writings could inspire imitators; journalists, gun rights advocates and a Republican state politician disagree, arguing that the writings are in the public interest. Families say the focus should be on gun safety, while conservatives focus on police reports that suggested the shooter was transgender. The judge’s decision is likely to be appealed.

“Access to instant information has also become a societal expectation that we all share,” Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles, a judge with the Court of Chancery, wrote in her ruling. Times“However, there are times when this immediate access to and demand for information must be balanced and moderated to protect the integrity of our legal system, particularly the criminal justice system.”

Police said Hale, who attended the school, was undergoing treatment for emotional disorders and had read about other mass murderers. TimesAuthorities do not believe Hale’s gender was a motive for the crime, though they still do not have a clear motive.

Last summer, Hale’s parents transferred ownership of the papers to the families of the surviving students, Times reported. The transfer raised questions about who owned the copyright — the right to publish — the texts. Chancellor Myles cited this copyright issue as another reason for withholding the documents.

Police recovered 20 notebooks, five computers, a suicide note and other writings during a search of Hale’s home after the shooting. Authorities also discovered two memoirs, five Covenant School yearbooks and seven cellphones.