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category/investigations

Lawsuit Hearing: Victims' Families Seek to Block Release of Transgender Shooter Audrey Hale's Manifesto

RedState reports that families of victims of the March 27, 2023 Covenant School shooting are seeking to block public release of a manifesto written by the shooter, saying the document is part of the shooter's estate after her parents transferred it to the victims' families; a federal judge reportedly ordered the FBI to release the manifesto.

Open the original RedState article ↗

Accurate
Public importance 35/100

“Audrey Elizabeth Hale carried out a shooting at Covenant Christian Elementary in Nashville on March 27, 2023, killing six people (Mike Hill, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, Hallie Scruggs, Evelyn Dieckhaus, and William Kinney) and dying at the scene.”

Attributed to RedState (reporting)

✓ Proof standard met 5 reachable references Independent-source requirement passed
Original context and attribution

Article summarizes the Covenant School shooting and lists the victims and Hale's death in its coverage of legal disputes over Hale's writings.

What the proof shows

Multiple primary and official sources (Metro Nashville Police Department releases and investigation summary), contemporaneous reporting, and the school’s own memorial confirm that on March 27, 2023 a shooter identified by police as Audrey Elizabeth Hale attacked The Covenant School in Nashville, killed six people (Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill), and was fatally shot by responding officers inside the building. There is no credible evidence contradicting those core facts; minor wording differences (e.g., the school’s official name is "The Covenant School" rather than the exact phrase "Covenant Christian Elementary") do not change the substance of the claim.

Corrected version

Audrey Elizabeth Hale carried out a shooting at The Covenant School (a private Christian elementary school) in Nashville on March 27, 2023, killing six people — Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill — and was fatally shot by responding police inside the school.

Automated evidence confidence: 0%

References and proof

Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.

Official data Supports

Investigation Continuing into Today's Active Shooter Murders at Covenant School ↗

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department
Proof point

MNPD media release (March 27, 2023) identifies the six deceased by name and identifies the shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale.

Official data Supports

MNPD Concludes Covenant School Mass Murder Investigation ↗

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (final investigation summary)
Proof point

MNPD final summary states the murders occurred March 27, 2023, names the six victims, and says the offender, Audrey Hale, was fatally shot inside the Covenant building by responding MNPD officers.

Independent reporting Supports

Nashville police chief confirms authenticity of leaked Covenant school shooter's writings ↗

Associated Press
Proof point

AP reports the shooter killed six people, names the three child and three adult victims, and identifies the shooter as Audrey Hale (March 27, 2023 attack).

Independent reporting Supports

Nashville school shooting: What to know about the 6 victims ↗

ABC News
Proof point

ABC News lists the six victims (Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, Hallie Scruggs, Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, Mike Hill) and says the shooter was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale.

Primary source Supports

In Remembrance of March 27 ↗

The Covenant School (official school page)
Proof point

The Covenant School memorial page acknowledges the mass shooting on March 27, 2023 and names the six victims (Evelyn, Hallie, Will, Cindy, Katherine, and Mike).

Missing important context
Public importance 35/100

“After Hale's death, her parents transferred her estate to the family members of the six murder victims, and those families now assert copyright ownership of Hale's handwritten manifesto to block its release.”

Attributed to RedState (reporting)

✓ Proof standard met 4 reachable references Independent-source requirement passed
Original context and attribution

Article states that Hale's parents transferred her estate to the victims' families and that the families argue the manifesto is copyrighted as part of the estate in a public-records lawsuit.

What the proof shows

Court records confirm Audrey Hale’s parents executed an assignment transferring their rights in Hale’s writings (described as the shooter’s “Writings and Intellectual Property Rights”) to a trust for the benefit of Covenant School parents/children, and those intervening parents asserted copyright to oppose public disclosure. A Davidson County chancery judge initially relied in part on that copyright argument to block release. However, the transfer described in the record is limited to the writings/intellectual-property rights (not a blanket transfer of Hale’s entire estate), and later appellate review both affirmed the intervening parents’ standing to raise copyright and reversed or narrowed other aspects of the trial court’s broad withholding order — requiring further, page-by-page review. The RedState phrasing omits those important limits and later appellate developments, so it is accurate in its core claim (an assignment of IP was made and copyright was asserted) but missing key context and precision.

Corrected version

Hale’s parents signed a document assigning their rights in Hale’s written materials to a trust for the benefit of Covenant parents/children; those intervening parents have asserted copyright in those writings and used that claim in court to oppose public release. A Chancery Court initially relied on that copyright argument to block public release in part, but appellate review later affirmed the parents’ standing while reversing or narrowing other parts of the trial court’s order and remanding for further review.

Automated evidence confidence: 0%

References and proof

Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.

Independent reporting Supports

Lawsuit Hearing: Victims' Families Seek to Block Release of Transgender Shooter Audrey Hale's Manifesto ↗

RedState
Proof point

Article states that Hale's parents transferred her estate to the victims' families and that the families argue the manifesto is copyrighted as part of a public-records lawsuit.

Independent reporting Supports

Tennessee State Judge Orders Police to Provide Redacted Copy of Covenant Killer Manifesto Ahead of Possible Release ↗

The Tennessee Star
Proof point

The intervenors claim to have obtained copyright ownership of Hale’s written materials and now seek to use their ownership to prohibit their publication... the trial judge ordered MNPD to provide a redacted copy of the manifesto for review.

Independent reporting Supports

Judge Rules Nashville Shooter’s Manifesto Is Exempt From Disclosure Due to Copyright ↗

The Epoch Times
Proof point

Chancery Court Judge I'Ashea Myles ruled on July 4 that none of the writings left by Nashville school killer Audrey Hale can be released, citing copyright claims of the victims' families.

Independent reporting Supports

Judge issues ruling at 11:58 p.m. to block release of Covenant School killer's manifesto, other documents ↗

The Blaze
Proof point

Just minutes before the clock struck midnight on July 4, Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles issued a ruling that blocks the release of the documents... 'Based upon Supremacy Clause and conflict preemption, the federal Copyright Act serves as a valid exemption to the Tennessee Public Records Act and thus preempts the disclosure of any original work of authorship in any form created by the assailant,' she explained.

COMMUNITY EVIDENCE

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