The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) may not meet its “goal” of completing the Covenant School shooting investigation by January 1, 2025, according to spokesman Don Aaron, who told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday he was unable to offer a firm date or time for the lead detective to finish documenting the case.
Aaron previously told The Star in November that “some work” was necessary to complete the documentation phase of the investigation early last month, then on November 12 confirmed it was “the goal” of the department to finish the investigation before the end of this year.
The Star asked Aaron on Wednesday whether the case continues to be documented by the lead investigator, if any progress was made during the month of November, and whether MNPD was still operating with the “goal” of completing the investigation into the March 27, 2023 attack by the start of 2025.
Aaron told The Star on Wednesday, “I do not have a hard date [and] time certain.”
He also confirmed the lead detective assigned to the Covenant investigation continues to document the investigative work completed by the department.
The case remains open after Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles ruled on July 4 that MNPD did not have to release case files or records related to its investigation until the department officially finished its investigation.
While Myles also ruled that not one page from the manifesto would be released to the public, citing the intellectual property claims of a group of Covenant School parents who assert copyright ownership to the written works left by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the biological woman who identified as a transgender man when she killed six at the Christian elementary school almost two years ago.
Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), which owns and operates The Star, and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy were among plaintiffs who sued to compel MNPD to release the documents. Leahy and SNDM have appealed Myles’ decision.
Simultaneously, Leahy and SNDM are suing in federal court to compel the FBI to release Hale’s documents, and recently invited the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop their opposition to the manifesto’s release, citing President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
After attorneys representing SNDM and Leahy extended the offer, Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as the next director of the FBI, and an interview surfaced showing the nominee advocate for the release of the manifesto.
“It’s not the Nashville Police or PD saying we don’t want this out. The FBI airmailed into that operation and said this is not getting out,” said Patel, before urging Trump to create a “central node” in government with the mission of “continuously declassifying” and releasing information to the public.
Despite the FBI and MNPD retaining around 1,000 pages of writings left by the killer, The Star obtained Hale’s 2023 journal from a source familiar with the investigation in June and published about 50 articles revealing its content before releasing the complete document in September.
In addition to Hale’s journal, The Star obtained a portion of documents from the Covenant investigation, including a memo sent by the FBI to MNPD that “strongly” urged the local law enforcement agency against releasing “legacy tokens” left by killers like Hale. An FBI definition suggests “legacy tokens” include all writings left by killers like Hale.
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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.Â
This is such a crock. Seems to be the typical MO of the FBI.
The FBI is appears to be the Federal Bureau of COVER UP. Drake has 0 power. Council members have 0 power. ALL POWER IS CENTRALIZED IN THE MAYORs Ofc. He is a Dictator. If he wanted his PD to release the Manifesto, it would be released. They are all hiding behind the FBI.
Some questions that need answering:
What meds did Audrey take over the many years she was receiving “therapy” through VUMC.
They knew she was suicidal, yet they didn’t hospitalized her.
Did they know she was planning a homicidal attack on innocent people?
Since when do family members get to call the shots on what evidence can be released?
Where did Audrey buy so many weapons & ammo?
Who trained her?
Did her parents not notice the guns?
Has her VUMC therapist been charged with the crime of not reporting a violent patient?
This case wreaks of Cover up.
Similar to other cover-ups like the J6 Fedsurrection in 2021. The Las Vegas Shooting, the Parkland FL School shooting & every other mass shooting.
How much longer will they delay Governor Lee? Just asking……still waiting………