Timeline unclear on release of Covenant School shooter’s writings

The timeline for the release of the writings of the person who killed six people at Nashville’s Covenant School is unclear.The Tennessee Court of Appeals sent a case seeking the writings of Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a female who identified as male, back to the Davidson County Chancery Court for release. Hale shot and killed three children and three school staff in March 2023 before being shot and killed by responding police officers.
The Tennessee Star and its editor-in-chief, Michael Patrick Leahy, filed the suit along with the Tennessee Firearms Association, former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, Judicial Watch and state Rep. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, for the release of Hale’s writings.
The appellate court said arguments that Hale’s writings were copyrighted and thus barred their release were “without merit.” The court also rejected claims that the writings could not be released because they were part of an open criminal investigation.
“By the time this opinion is released, it will have been nearly three years since the Covenant School shooting,” the court said. “Metro (Nashville Police) concedes in its brief that its investigation into the shooting is closed and that there is no pending or contemplated criminal prosecution related to the shooting.”
The court did not establish a timeline as to when the writings would be released. The Covenant Children’s Trust, which represents the families of the three children killed in the shooting, has 60 days to appeal.
Eric G. Osborne, an attorney for the Covenant Children’s Trust, told TCS that a decision on an appeal has not been made.
The FBI released some of Hale’s writings in April 2025. They show how Hale deliberated about the murders. Hale also wrote about firearms and firearms training.

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