The Thursday ruling by Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles, when she decided not one single page of the writings of Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale would be released, will “absolutely” be appealed, stated Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star and the CEO of Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM).
Leahy declared in his Friday statement, “The judge has erroneously accepted a dubious copyright claim made by intervenors who should not have been allowed to intervene in this case in the first place.”
He continued, “The judge’s ruling is clearly not in the public interest and is a subversion of the intent of the Tennessee Public Records Act. We will absolutely appeal.”
Both Leahy and SNDM were plaintiffs in the Tennessee lawsuit which sought to compel the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to release Hale’s full writings, including those sometimes called a manifesto.
Myles ruled in favor of the defendants and intervenors in the lawsuit, namely the collection of Covenant School parents who she allowed to intervene in the case after they asserted copyright ownership of the killer’s documents after it was purportedly transferred to them by her parents, Ronald and Norma Hale.
Last month, The Star confirmed it obtained approximately 80 pages of Hale’s writings, and a tranche of police documents related to the case, from a source familiar with the investigation.
The Star has since published police documents which reveal Hale was a 22-year mental health patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where a transcript obtained by The Star reveals Hale was twice evaluated for potential commitment after she expressed suicidal ideation.
Other police documents and crime scene photographs, which were also obtained by The Star, revealed Hale was prescribed at least five medications, including three anti-anxiety drugs, a nasal spray, and an antidepressant, prior to her March 27, 2023 attack on the Covenant School, where she claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members.
Hale apparently began contemplating a shooting at a school when she was a middle school student, and The Star reported on Tuesday that Hale first expressed suicidal thoughts as a high school student, when her mother slept in front of the killer’s bedroom door with a sleeping bag to keep her daughter in the family home.
The Star also reported that Hale was diagnosed with five mental disorders, including anxiety disorder, social phobia, dysthymia disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, by an individual who appears to be employed by Vanderbilt University and associated with VUMC.
Police investigators additionally told Hale’s parents the killer “felt close” to the Columbine High School attackers, and created her own version of
Leahy and SNDM remain plaintiffs in the ongoing federal lawsuit which seeks to compel the full release of Hale’s manifesto from the FBI, which The Star recently revealed sent a memo to MNPD Chief John Drake in May 2023 to “strongly” advise against the release of “legacy tokens” left by killers like Hale.
An FBI definition suggests both the pages of Hale’s writings obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits are considered unfit for publication by the federal agency. The FBI declined to confirm it sent the memo, but confirmed it sends such “products” to local law enforcement.
– – –
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 “Judge I’Ashea L. Myles” by TNCourts.
Is there a site that can take Legal Donations for the release of the Hale Manifesto
Judge is brought and sold to her masters, something’s never change.
Great story!! This is ridiculous!! Americans have the right to know the TRUTH. I really hope that Americans are sick and tired and just DONE. We have been lied to for the last several years. RELEASE THE WRITING NOW.
These judges ae politicians that are most elected by people who have absolutely no way and no education to evaluate the judge’s ability. We need a change . And the government should reimburse with damages any who funded the suit.
this Instagram filter of a judge needs to be removed. copyright? that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. and I watched biden’s debate and follow up interview.
Thank you for pursuing an appeal. Hopefully with s venue outside of Davidson County!
Per the Constitution of the United States, she can immediately be removed.
That, is a very terrible judge.
The regime does not allow information that could reflect poorly on their most favored identity groups.
BTW, who is the judge in that photo? I’ve seen courtroom video of Myles and that one has more filters than Folgers and 3M combined.