Commentary: Under Biden’s DOJ, Tennessee’s Criminal Prosecutions Have Plummeted

Crime Scene

As crime continues to plague the cities of Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee’s U.S. Attorneys have deemphasized prosecuting those who violate our criminal laws. In the first year of office for President Biden’s U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, criminal case filings declined by over 25 percent compared to the previous year.

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Nashville Police Captain to Host Covenant Shooting ‘Webinar’ Featuring ‘Review’ of ‘Factors’ Preceding School Shooting

Steven Bowers

A police captain with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is slated to hold a “webinar” for law enforcement to discuss the “lessons learned” from the Covenant School shooting last year, including factors which potentially led Audrey Elizabeth Hale to commit her horrific crime.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) reveals Captain Steven Bowers “will provide an overview, review factors that may have contributed to the violence, and share lessons learned on effective prevention, response, and recovery strategies” learned in the aftermath the Covenant School shooting on March 27, 2023 in a “webinar” to be held on February 29.

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Judge Overseeing Case to Release Covenant Killer Manifesto Warns of Contempt If Parties ‘Usurp’ Sealed Materials

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles on Tuesday filed an order in the ongoing case seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by the Covenant School killer that warns all involved in the multi-plaintiff lawsuit that they could be sanctioned or held in contempt if they “usurp” materials submitted to her for review.

Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to compel law enforcement to release the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who reportedly identified as a transgender man before she was fatally shot by police.

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New Court Filing Claims Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale Possibly Motivated by Alleged Child Abuse Coverup

A motion to intervene filed on Monday in the court case seeking to compel the release of the manifesto written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale claims the shooter’s motivation for committing the attack may stem from an alleged child abuse coverup at the school.

The motion was filed by Austin Davis, who claimed in a signed affidavit to be “a former Covenant Presbyterian deacon and church member, and a former Covenant School father” who also purports to be a “child sex abuse whistleblower.” The Tennessee man claimed to face retaliation for the claims he made against the school.

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Jacksonville Sheriff Released Racist Manifesto Just Six Months After Shooting, Suicide

TK Waters

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters released in January the manifesto written by Ryan Palmeter, who fatally shot three people in a racially motivated attack that happened last August at a Dollar General in Florida last year before turning the gun on himself.

The manifesto was released following the completion of an investigation into the circumstances that led to the shooting by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department.

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Tennessee Judge to Consider Releasing List of Seized Items from Covenant School Shooter, May Set Court Date for Manifesto Release Hearing

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles set a court date last Friday for this week, during which she will hear motions regarding the possible release of a list of documents written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale and to determine a future hearing to decide whether she will release Hale’s manifesto to the public.

Myles will hear two motions this Friday, reported WSMV on Saturday, including a motion regarding the release of “a list detailing the documents” written by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender male before she fatally shot three six-year-olds and three staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, which were “turned over to the judge for her private viewing” last year.

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Tennessee State Rep. Gino Bulso Files Bill to Compel Release of Covenant Killer Manifesto

Tennessee State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) filed HB 1653 on Monday to compel Tennessee law enforcement to release materials and evidence related to the Covenant School shooting, including the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who fatally shot three 9-year-old students and three faculty at the school in March 2023.

Bulso’s bill would require “all state and local law enforcement” to comply with a request from any member of the Tennessee General Assembly seeking “a copy of all records collected by the agency, including, but not limited to, all writings and medical, toxicology, and other reports, of a perpetrator involved in a school shooting incident that occurred at a public or private school in this state in March of 2023.”

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Metro Nashville Police Unable to Find Source of Covenant Killer Manifesto Leak, but Reveals How Photos Were Taken

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief John Drake said in an official announcement on Friday that the department had “exhausted” its investigative options to discover the identity of the law enforcement professional who leaked images of the manifesto written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, leading to their publication.

Drake announced in the media release that his department “has exhausted all available investigative avenues” to identify the person who leaked the images, but offered new information about how the images were taken, and revealed that a former MNPD detective has opted against cooperating with his former employers’ investigation.

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Three Metro Nashville Police Officers Remain on Administrative Assignment over Leak of Covenant Killer Manifesto: Report

Three Metro Nashville Police (MNPD) officers remain on administrative assignment as the agency investigates the leak of three photographs showing manifesto pages written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the Covenant School killer, which were published by conservative comedian and commentator Steven Crowder in November, according to a Tuesday report.

The police department confirmed three officers remain on administrative assignment to Fox 17, which reported that an additional four officers returned to their normal duties in mid-November. MNPD confirmed seven officers were placed on administrative assignment on November 7.

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Gov. Lee Will Not Ask Tennessee Lawmakers to Pass Red Flag Law in 2024

Governor Bill Lee (R) confirmed to reporters on Monday that he does not intend to ask the Tennessee General Assembly to pass red flag legislation during the upcoming legislative session, effectively abandoning the push he began in April.

Lee told reporters he would not ask legislators to pass a bill he previously proposed that would allow for judges to sign orders for authorities to confiscate the firearms of a person deemed to be at risk, otherwise known as a red flag law.

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Source of Covenant Killer Manifesto Not Among Seven Officers Placed on ‘Administrative Assignment’ by MNPD, Crowder Claims

The member of Nashville law enforcement who reportedly captured photographs of the manifesto written by Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was not among the seven Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers placed on “administrative assignment” by the department, conservative commentator Steven Crowder confirmed on Thursday. Crowder released three photographs showing pages from the manifesto on Monday.

In a clip from his podcast posted to social media, Crowder said MNPD “messed up” by apparently identifying the wrong officers. He clarified the source “is not one of the seven” put on administrative assignment, and said any reporting to the contrary was designed “to intimidate whistleblowers into silence.”

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Metro Nashville Police Department Confirms 7 Officers on ‘Administrative Assignment’ in Connection to Covenant Killer Manifesto

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed on Wednesday that seven of its officers have been placed on administrative assignment following the leak of at least three pages of Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto to conservative commentator and comedian Steven Crowder, who published them Monday.

Crowder initially reported the seven officers were placed on leave in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The powers that be are more concerned about finding the leaker than they are about the contents of Audrey Hale’s anti-white manifesto,” wrote Crowder.

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Star News Network Seeks to Compel FBI to Determine Authenticity of Covenant Killer Manifesto as Lawsuit Continues

Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network, filed a new motion on Tuesday to advance its ongoing lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which seeks to compel the full release of the manifesto written by Covenant school killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, after three manifesto pages were leaked on Monday.

In a motion prepared after a portion of Hale’s manifesto was obtained by conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder, Star News asserted the leak proves, “assuming the three pages’ authenticity,” that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “could have selectively released” redacted portions of the manifesto without jeopardizing ongoing investigations.

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MNPD Probes How Covenant Killer Manifesto Photos Leaked ‘Outside of Law Enforcement’

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) spokesman Don Aaron told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday the department is investigating how images of three pages from the manifesto written by Covenant school killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale “made their way outside of law enforcement” on Monday.

“The investigation is advancing,” Aaron told The Star when asked if MNPD could eliminate the possibility of the leaked documents coming from within the department. “We are continuing with the objective to ascertain exactly how these photographs made their way outside of law enforcement,” he explained.

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MNPD Chief John Drake Vows to Investigate Person Who Leaked ‘Three Pages of Writings from the Covenant Shooter’

Chief John Drake of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released a statement on Monday that confirmed “three pages of writings from the Covenant shooter,” Audrey Hale, were leaked to the public, and pledged to “identify the person responsible.”

In a statement posted to the Nashville government website, Drake said he was disturbed by the “unauthorized release” of pages written by Hale, and said his department is “extremely serious about the investigation” to determine the culprit. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell ordered an investigation into the release of the pages on Monday afternoon.

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Metro Nashville Police Department Stonewalls Authentication of Leaked Covenant Killer Documents, Claims Photos ‘Not MNPD Crime Scene Images’

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) acknowledged the leaked documents purported to be part of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale on Monday. Hale, who reportedly identified as a transgender male, fatally shot six at The Covenant School in 2022.

MNPD did not confirm nor deny the authenticity of the images in the statement, but acknowledged the department “is in communication” with the Metro Legal about the ongoing investigation “into the dissemination of three photographs of writings” shown by conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder on Monday morning. The department confirmed the “photographs are not MNPD crime scene images.”

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Orders Metro Legal to Investigate How Covenant Killer Documents Were Released

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell ordered an investigation from Metro Legal on Monday to determine how the photos of the manifesto written by The Covenant Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, which were authenticated by The Tennessee Star, were leaked to conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder.

O’Connell announced the investigation in a statement to News Channel 5, telling the outlet he directed Metro Law Director Wally Dietz “to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released.” At press time the Metro Nashville Police Department has acknowledged the documents, but has refused to comment on their authenticity or how Crowder may have obtained them.

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Sources Confirm Docs Leaked by Crowder Are Authentic Covenant Killer Writings, MNPD Investigating

Sources in the Tennessee General Assembly who were allowed to view the Covenant Killer Manifesto by the Metro Nashville Police Department have confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the documents released by Steven Crowder on Monday morning, which he purports to be part of Covenant killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto, are indeed part of the documents obtained by MNPD during their investigation, and were authentically written by Hale.

The independent confirmation of the manifesto comes after MNPD said it “has no idea” what the documents. The Star contacted MNPD again to confirm the documents are Hale’s original writings, but a spokesperson for the department said she did not know whether the documents were authentic.

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Metro Nashville Police Department ‘Has No Idea’ About Document Steven Crowder Purports to Be Covenant Killer Manifesto

A spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) told The Tennessee Star they have “no idea” about the document obtained by Steven Crowder and released on Monday, which he purports to be the actual manifesto of Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale.

They did not specifically address the authenticity of the purported document.

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Gulbransen: The First Step to Stopping Modern Day Slavery in Tennessee Is to Pass This Bill

Attorney and newest all-star panelist Braden Boucek joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on Monday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss to administrative overreach and bizarre secrecy surrounding the Covenant Killer Manifesto and how lawmakers convening in the special session could obtain and review those materials today.

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State Rep. Scott Cepicky on Special Session: ‘I Will Be a Firm No Vote’ on Any Legislation that Restricts Tennesseans’ Constitutional Rights

State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) joined host Michael Patrick Leahy on the newsmaker line on Wednesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report to discuss the special session Gov. Bill Lee formally called in a proclamation last night. Cepicky broke down the steps ahead and shared his thoughts about the fate of Lee’s “Red Flag” law aspirations. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 6:18 a.m. – we are joined on a newsmaker line right now by our very good friend, State Representative Scott Cepicky. Good morning, Scott. How are you today? Scott Cepicky:  Good morning, Michael. How’s everybody doing today? Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, I was doing fine until I saw the governor last night release this proclamation for a special session, which will be held Monday, a week from Monday at 4:00 p.m. in the state Capitol. What’s your reaction to this laundry list of 18 things that he wants you to pass in a special session? Scott Cepicky: Well, Michael, the first thing I wanna say is I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of Tennessee and pass no bill or vote for any bill that is injurious to the citizens of the state. So I take that very seriously and…

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