Nashville Police Deny Chief Acknowledged Vanderbilt University Medical Center Staff Failed Duty to Warn Potential Victims of Covenant Killer Audrey Hale

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Wednesday denied Chief John Drake privately acknowledged staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) knew Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale told mental health professionals she fantasized about killing her father and committing a mass shooting at a school, but failed to warn potential victims in violation of Tennessee Code 33-3-206, as was alleged by a source familiar with the investigation to The Tennessee Star on June 19.

MNPD Public Affairs Director Don Aaron contacted The Star on Wednesday via email to state, “Chief Drake confirms that he DID NOT acknowledge what” The Star first reported in its June 19 article.

Aaron told The Star, “This is an investigation being conducted by the Homicide Unit that is still open and being worked, although that work is winding down.  The findings/conclusions of the investigation will be contained in the case file when it ends.”

He confirmed MNPD has “been reticent to discuss the investigative work prior to the conclusion,” but stated they “believe it important to correct a third-party statement attributed to the Chief.”

On June 19, The Star learned from a source that Drake (pictured above) privately acknowledged VUMC staff failed to adhere to the Tennessee law, which mandated it warn Hale’s potential victims about her violent plans. Tennessee Code 33-3-206 specifies mental health professionals “shall take reasonable care to predict, warn of, or take precautions to protect the identified victim from the service recipient’s violent behavior.”

The Star contacted Drake on Thursday to ascertain whether Drake had reviewed the findings from the MNPD investigator who had obtained a search warrant for VUMC documents related to Hale and had taken notes on about 75 pages of the documents he had obtained.

According to the investigator’s notes, which were published by The Star on June 20, Hale related to VUMC staff members that she experienced “[t]houghts of killing Dad in and struggles with mental health. Recent thoughts of going into a school and shooting a bunch of people.”

Aaron told The Star that Drake has not reviewed this information. Aaron similarly said Drake did not acknowledge any potential wrongdoing on behalf of VUMC or VUMC staff but did not clarify what Drake privately acknowledged to the source who gave the information to The Star.

“This investigation has continued into 2024 and remains open. Detectives are working to bring it to a conclusion,” he said.

Aaron told The Star, “The findings of our Homicide Unit will be contained in the final case file.”

Both Star News Digital Media, Inc., which owns and operates The Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy are plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuits that seek to compel the MNPD and the FBI to release Hale’s full writings, including those sometimes called a manifesto.

Earlier this month, The Star published an FBI memo that “strongly” advised Drake against releasing “legacy tokens” from killers like Hale. An FBI definition suggests the federal agency considers both the roughly 80 journal entries obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits unfit for public release.

The FBI declined to confirm it sent the memo in a statement to The Star, but confirmed it sends such “products” to local law enforcement.

While Hale’s writings remain sealed more than a year after her devastating March 27, 2023 attack, The Star has now published more than 60 articles that include the killer’s words or new information about the Covenant case.

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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 “John Drake” by Metro Nashville Police Department.