The FBI reportedly provided last week the 1,299 pages written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who identified as a transgender man when she killed six at the Nashville school she once attended, to independent media personality Megyn Kelly.
Kelly’s release of the materials, which began on Monday, appears to contain some of the same writings The Tennessee Star legally obtained last June and subsequently published in their entirety in September 2024, suggesting the materials obtained by Kelly are authentic.
“The Megyn Kelly show has exclusively obtained from the FBI the full set set of journals written by the Nashville Covenant school shooter,” said the host in a podcast released Monday, adding, “they appear to have been mischaracterized by Nashville authorities last week,” when Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released its final report on Hale’s murders and closed its investigation.
Kelly added, “Critical context excluded from the 48 page report released last week by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and withheld now from the public for two years. Within the Nashville report, acknowledgment of an autism diagnosis, mentions of writings retrieved from journals, and the killer’s feelings.”
EXCLUSIVE: Chilling, important, details from more than 1,000 pages of the Nashville school shooter's journals that provide necessary context omitted from the final police report.
AM Update for April 7: pic.twitter.com/RRjRyjdT0e
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) April 7, 2025
The release of the Covenant killer’s writings to Kelly comes as the FBI continues refusing to release the materials to The Star. This is despite nearly two years of litigation against the federal agency by Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), The Star’s parent company. This litigation has continued even after Kash Patel’s confirmation as the agency’s director.
Patel argued in December 2023 that his predecessor, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, prevented the release of Hale’s writings.
When Patel was nominated to lead the agency, SNDMÂ extended a settlement offer that would see the lawsuit dropped in exchange for the FBI dropping their opposition to releasing Hale’s materials.
No definitive response has been provided by the agency, including after Patel’s confirmation and after the agency reportedly consented to the release of Hale’s writings to Kelly.
The FBI on Monday referred The Star to the Department of Justice in response to a press inquiry which sought to confirm that the agency released the information to Kelly and ascertain whether the agency maintains its internal opposition to the release of Hale’s writings despite authorizing such a release to another journalist.
The FBI did not respond when asked whether it would formally drop its legal opposition to the release of Hale’s writings in the court case brought by SNDM and Leahy.
Devil May Care Media, the production company started by Kelly, where the journalist directs media inquiries, did not immediately respond to a press inquiry from The Star about the release.
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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].
This kind of BS has been going on since the days of Woodrow Wilson.
After great expense and legal battles, it is extremely disheartening that the FBI/Patel did not entrust the initial release to MPL and Star News Media.
Thank you for your efforts Mike and I am sorry you continue to be treated in this manner.