The Tennessee Star has obtained a judicial subpoena sent by a Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) detective to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) on May 13, 2023, which sought “any and all records of medical and psychological treatment received by Audrey Hale,” who committed the Covenant School shooting on March 27, 2023 that resulted in six dead.
The subpoena, obtained by The Star from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation, demands the delivery of documents by hand or via mail to assist MNPD in establishing whether a specific criminal offense was committed or whether “a clear and logical nexus” exists “between the documents requested” and Hale’s crimes.
According to the detective, Hale “received medical care and psychological treatment” at VUMC. The detective wrote that the information subpoenaed “will be used to determine Audrey Hale’s mental state before the incident and at the time of the incident.”
In certifying the petition, the MNPD detective wrote that the information subpoenaed from VUMC would assist MNPD with “identification, apprehension and prosecution” of potential suspects following the Covenant School shooting. Police killed Hale at the Covenant School.
The Star contacted VUMC to determine when Hale was a patient and whether VUMC complied with the subpoena but did not receive a response before press time.
MNPD likewise did not respond to an inquiry that sought to confirm the subpoena is authentic and that VUMC complied with the request for document production prior to press time when asked by The Star.
The Star previously learned the identity of the psychologist who treated Hale prior to closing her practice at the end of 2022, and on Tuesday, retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson told Michael Patrick Leahy Show that Hale was referred by a therapist to receive immediate psychiatric help at VUMC.
“As far as I know, [Vanderbilt Psych] did not report out,” Davidson additionally told Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star.
He explained, “So, whether it was from the therapist to [Vanderbilt Psych] or [Vanderbilt Psych] in house obtained that information from the shooter, as far as her ideation and stuff, I don’t believe they reported out. To my knowledge, they didn’t.”
The revelation that MNPD issued a subpoena for documents from VUMC comes after a source told The Star that MNPD conducted searches of the home and office of Hale’s psychologist.
A biological female, Hale identified as a transgender man at the time of her death. As a transgender person, it is possible Hale accrued a mental health care team that included psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals.
Both Leahy and Star News Digital Media, Inc., which owns and operates The Star, are plaintiffs in separate lawsuits filed against the FBI and MNPD. The lawsuits seek to compel the full release of Hale’s written materials, including those sometimes called manifestos.
The Star confirmed on Wednesday that it had additionally obtained dozens of pages of Hale’s handwritten writings in the form of photographs of a notebook recovered from her vehicle. These writings include a political rant about guns and transgenderism that is dated just over one month before the horrific attack on the Covenant School.
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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 “Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Officer” by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Background Photo “Vanderbilt University Medical Center” by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
