Tennessee State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Knoxville) confirmed on Tuesday he plans to appeal the July 4 decision by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles that blocked the release the journals and other written materials left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale.
Gardenhire previously joined The Tennessean in the lawsuit which sought to compel the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to release Hale’s full writings, and confirmed on Tuesday to Tennessee Lookout that he will launch his appeal independently.
“This case really boils down to the state law and how it affects the open records, at least in this particular courtroom,” Gardenhire told the outlet. He reportedly stated, “That’s why it’s so important to not set a bad precedent based on emotion and political influence in Davidson County.”
Gardenhire also told Tennessee Lookout he planned to launch the appeal because “[t]he public needs to know certain facts” in order for lawmakers to make policy decisions.
He explained, “if we’re going to craft legislation to help prevent these types of tragedies, we have to know what was going through the mind and motive of the person that did the shooting.”
It is unclear when Gardenhire filed his official notice to appeal, as Tennessee law mandates such notice must be filed within 30 days of a judge’s order.
Myles (pictured above, right) ruled on July 4 that not one page of Hale’s documents would be released because her parents purportedly transferred the copyright ownership over them to the Covenant Children’s Trust, which parents of children formed at the Covenant School.
The copyright was purportedly transferred despite an ongoing probate case to determine the ownership of Hale’s estates. In that case, the killer’s parents claimed she did not leave a valid will, but The Tennessee Star obtained a suicide note, left by the killer, which demands to her parents, “PLEASE READ MY WILL.”
Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Tennessee Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy were both additional plaintiffs in the lawsuit and previously announced their intention to appeal on August 1.
Both SNDM and Leahy remain plaintiffs in the ongoing federal lawsuit which seeks to compel the FBI release Hale’s full writings.
Earlier this year, The Star obtained more than 80 pages of Hale’s writings and a portion of police materials related to the Covenant case.
The Star has since published more than 100 articles that reveal the killer’s own words or provide new details about the law enforcement investigation, including the revelation that Hale was a 22-year mental health patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where she was twice evaluated for inpatient commitment prior to her devastating attack.
Additionally, another document revealed the FBI “strongly” advised MNPD against releasing “legacy tokens” left by killers like Hale. An FBI definition suggests the agency considers all of Hale’s writings to be “legacy tokens,” including those obtained by The Star.
The FBI declined to confirm that it sent the memo in a statement to The Star but did state that it sends such materials to local law enforcement.
Hale was born a female but identified as a biological male. Portions of her writings, previously released by conservative commentator and comedian Steven Crowder, suggested Hale harbored resentment against children who attended the Covenant School, where she claimed the lives of three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members on March 27, 2023.
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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 “I’Ashea Myles” by I’Ashea Myles.
