Category: TN LEAD

Unsubstantiated Allegation by WSMV Reporter Prompts Judge to Order Show Cause Hearing over The Tennessee Star’s Reporting on Covenant Killer Investigation

Tom Pappert
WSMV Stacey Cameron

Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, could face contempt charges or other punitive action on June 17 over his publication’s reporting of the writings left by Covenant School killer Audrey Hale after her devastating attack on the Covenant School on March 27, 2023 that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old children and three adults.

The court date was set following an unsubstantiated allegation from WSMV 4 reporter Stacey Cameron to Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Left Parents Suicide Note with Instructions for ‘If I Don’t Survive My Massacre’

Tom Pappert
Audrey Elizabeth Hale

The Tennessee Star has obtained the suicide note left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale to her parents before her devastating March 27, 2023 attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults.

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) investigators found the note posted to Hale’s bedroom wall, which The Star has learned was adorned with childhood memorabilia and photos.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Wrote About Desire to Kill Her Father in Recovered Journal

Tom Pappert
Audrey Elizabeth Hale

The journal recovered from the vehicle driven by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale includes at least five entries expressing animosity toward her father, including one page where Hale wrote of her desire to kill him.

The Tennessee Star confirmed last Wednesday it obtained dozens of pages written by Audrey Hale from a source close to the Covenant investigation.

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Audrey Hale Claimed She Planned Covenant Attack for Five Years in Recovered Journal, Plan ‘Near Perfection’

Tom Pappert
Audrey Hale

Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale wrote in a journal recovered from her vehicle that she planned her attack for five years and prepared meticulously until her devastating plot was “near perfection.”

The Tennessee Star reported on Wednesday it obtained dozens of pages of Hale’s writings which police recovered from her vehicle from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation. 

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MNPD Learned on Day of Covenant Shooting Audrey Hale Had Been Treated by Vanderbilt Psychiatric for 22 Years from 2001 Until Her 2023 Death

Tom Pappert
Covenant School Shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale

Metro Nashville Police Department learned Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was a 22-year patient of mental health professionals at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) on March 27, 2023, the same day she orchestrated her devastating attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults working at the school.

The Tennessee Star obtained the June 1, 2023 affidavit filed by an MNPD detective to obtain a search warrant for VUMC from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Used Federal Pell Grant Funds to Buy Guns She Used in March 2023 Mass Shooting at Christian School

Matthew Giffin

Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale reportedly used funds from a federal Pell grant to buy the guns she used to perpetrate a mass shooting in March, 2023.

99.7 WTN afternoon radio host Brian Wilson reported Wednesday that Hale “took money from an education grant she received to purchase her weapons and to pay for training at a local gun range.”

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Wrote 3 Pages in Journal About ‘My Imaginary Penis’

Tom Pappert
Audrey Hale Journal

Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a biological female who identified as a transgender male at the time of her attack, wrote a three-page journal entry titled “My Imaginary Penis” that was included in the writings recovered from her vehicle.

The Tennessee Star confirmed on Wednesday it obtained nearly four dozen pages of Hale’s writings from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation, including the March 11, 2023 entry discussing her desire to have a male anatomy.

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FBI Memo on ‘Protection of Legacy Tokens’ Sent to Nashville Police in May 2023 Opposed Release of Covenant Killer Documents, Cited Destruction Precedent

Tom Pappert

The Tennessee Star has obtained the FBI memo sent to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on May 11, 2023 from a source familiar with the Covenant killer investigation.

The letterhead and heading used for the memo indicate it originated at the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group in Quantico, Virginia. The opening paragraphs reveal it was sent by the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC), the home of the FBI’s Behavorial Analysis Unit (BAU-1). The memo was not signed.

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Retired MNPD Lt. Garet Davidson Claims FBI Told Nashville Police Not to Release Documents from Covenant School Killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale Investigation, Pointed to Precedent for Document Destruction

Tom Pappert

A retired Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) lieutenant told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show on Tuesday that the FBI sent a memo to Police Chief John Drake in May of 2023, two months after Audrey Elizabeth Hale killed three students and three staff members at the Covenant School, instructing the department not to release certain materials from the Covenant School shooting investigation and instead pointed out to the MNPD the precedent for destroying such documents.

The information was divulged to Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, by recently retired MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson, who filed the recent 61-page complaint against the department and made other claims about the status of the investigation of Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale to 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson.

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Transgender Alleged Cyberstalker McKenzie McClure Ordered to be Temporarily Released to Mental Health Facility

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure was ordered by a federal district court judge on Monday to be temporarily released to a residential mental health facility rather than stay in federal custody.

McClure’s representation proposed the plan to temporarily release her in a Monday hearing. The prosecution agreed with the plan after negotiating several conditions for McClure’s release and initially preferring that she remain in federal custody. McClure’s charges were not discussed in the hearing.

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Psychologist Who Allegedly Failed to Report Violent Threats from Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Identified, Claims Practice Closed in 2022

Tom Pappert
Audrey Elizabeth Hale

A source provided The Tennessee Star with the name of the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale. That psychologist allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement after Hale purportedly expressed fantasies about murdering her family members and carrying out a school shooting while under treatment.

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Retired Officer Garet Davidson Tells WTN’s Brian Wilson MNPD Served Warrant on Medical Practitioner as Part of Covenant Investigation

Matthew Giffin
Mike Hagar, Garet Davidson, and Chris Gilder

A 61-page complaint against the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) by a retired officer was obtained in full by 99.7 WTN radio host Brian Wilson and published on his website Thursday afternoon.

Wilson interviewed the complaint’s author — former MNPD Lieutenant Garet Davidson — Thursday on his afternoon drive time radio show.

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Nashville Teen Arrested for Alleged Shooting that Left 13-Year-Old Dead, 16-Year-Old Hospitalized

Tom Pappert
Murder Suspect De'Anthony Osasosifo

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Thursday confirmed the arrest of 15-year-old De’Anthony Osasosifo and named him as a suspect in the Wednesday night shooting that left a 13-year-old dead and his 16-year-old sister hospitalized.

MNPD revealed on social media that a 13-year-old boy was fatally wounded and his 16-year-old sister was shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries after “gunfire erupted during a teen fight” in the parking lot of the Red Caboose Park in Bellevue.

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Gov. Lee Signs Abortion Trafficking Bill into Law

Peter D'Abrosca
Bill Lee

Gov. Bill Lee (R) on Tuesday signed a bill into law that will penalize adults who take minors across state lines to obtain abortions or sex change surgeries. 

HB 1895 “creates the criminal offense of abortion trafficking of a minor; provides for a civil action against a person committing the offense of abortion trafficking of a minor for the wrongful death of an unborn child that was aborted.”

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Gov. Bill Lee Confirms He’s ‘Engaged’ with Republican Candidates to Determine School Choice Stance Ahead of Primary Elections

Tom Pappert
Bill Lee

Governor Bill Lee confirmed in a Monday press conference that he is “engaged” with Republican candidates to determine their stance on school choice following the defeat of his Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which would have provided 20,000 Education Savings Accounts for Tennessee students.

Lee said he has “met with several candidates, some who are in open seats; some who are incumbents,” with the governor specifically asking the candidates for their stances on “what I’m talking about is education freedom and choice for parents.”

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Morgan Wallen Postpones Bar Opening After Sign Rejected by Metro Nashville Council

Tom Pappert
Morgan Wallen

Country music artist Morgan Wallen postponed the opening day of This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen, his Nashville establishment that was originally slated to open in time for Memorial Day.

Though neither Wallen nor the bar offered a reason for their decision to postpone the launch, the decision follows a vote by the Nashville Metro Council to deny the sign the establishment sought to place on the exterior of its building.

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Several Nashville Business Leaders Ally Themselves with Andy Ogles Challenger Courtney Johnston

Matthew Giffin
Bobby Joslin and Courtney Johnston

Several Nashville business leaders have publicly allied themselves with Nashville Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston, the Republican challenger to Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), since she announced her campaign in April.

Bobby Joslin, owner of Joslin and Son Sign Company, which has provided signs to many Nashville businesses, welcomed Johnston at an annual fish fry event on Thursday by gifting her a prominent sign, The Nashville Banner reported. Prominent Nashville and Tennessee political figures attended the event, including former Governor Bill Haslam, former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, and several current and former candidates for office representing both parties.

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Tennessee State Legislature Candidates Reveal Positions on Second Amendment

Matthew Giffin
Gun Range

Tennessee State Legislature candidates revealed their positions on possible Second Amendment-related legislation in a survey of the candidates conducted by the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA).

The TFA’s candidate survey consisted of 24 “yes” or “no” questions, asking candidates up for election whether they would vote for hypothetical legislation. Most of the hypothetical bills in question dealt with repealing restrictions on Tennesseans to own and carry firearms. The TFA posted the results on Monday.

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Vanderbilt Poll: Tennessee’s ‘MAGA Republicans’ More Pro-Life than State’s Other Republicans

Peter D'Abrosca
Trump Supporters

A Vanderbilt University poll that measured Tennesseans’ sentiments on abortion among other political issues found that Republicans who identify more closely with former President Donald Trump are more pro-life than Republicans who do not. 

Vanderbilt Poll Co-Director Josh Clinton explained the distinction between what the pollsters term “MAGA Republicans” and other Republicans. 

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Rep. Andy Ogles Says $320k Personal Pledge ‘Mistakenly Included’ in FEC Filings Which Overstated June 2022 Cash-On-Hand by $292k

Tom Pappert
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05)

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) submitted a total of 11 amended campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Wednesday. The new details provided by Ogles reveal his campaign originally misstated its cash-on-hand in June 2022 by more than $290,000.

Ogles’ 11 amended reports are for reporting periods between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2024. The first amended filing, which includes the $290,000 discrepancy, covers the period when Ogles previously reported a $320,000 personal loan to his campaign.

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Jasmine Crockett Silent amid Lack of Evidence for Alleged 2002 Hate Crimes

Tom Pappert
Jasmine Crockett

Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) did not respond to a Wednesday inquiry from The Tennessee Star seeking more information to corroborate her previous claim that she and 17 students suffered a “series of hate crimes” on the Rhodes College campus in 2002.

Rhodes College Campus Safety similarly has yet to respond to requests for comment about the alleged hate crimes, nor have they supplied any documentary evidence including police reports, after Crockett claimed she and the other students were sent racist letters to their campus mailboxes.

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Drug Overdoses Spike in Nashville, MNPD Hands Out Narcan to Homeless

Matthew Giffin

Metro Nashville Police Department handed out kits for Narcan, medicine that can treat drug overdoses in emergency situations, to about 40 homeless people on Monday in response to a spike in overdoses on Sunday and Monday.

Detectives are investigating the overdose spike, according to an MNPD press release. In only one incident downtown, eight individuals overdosed together, causing two fatalities while the other six were revived with Narcan.

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Price Tag for Transportation Referendum Pushed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Swells to $6.93 Billion

Tom Pappert
Freddy O'Connell

An independent accounting of the costs associated with the transportation referendum put forward by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Thursday claims the true cost of the mayor’s goals will swell to $6.93 billion over the 15-year life of the project.

O’Connell originally announced the cost of building the transportation improvements in his referendum would amount to about $3.1 billion, with additional annual operating costs of about $111 million.

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Former Bush 43 Special Counsel: Hatch Act Could Be Used to Prosecute Biden DOJ and DHS Officials for 2024 Election Interference

Michael Patrick Leahy
Attorney Scott Bloch

Scott J. Bloch, Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) under former President George W. Bush from 2003 to 2008, told The Tennessee Star on Saturday that a a provision of the 1939 Hatch Act, now codified as 18 U.S.C. 595, could be used to prosecute Biden Administration Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security officials for election interference and affecting the 2024 election.

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One Month After Announcing Transportation Plan Focused on More Busses, Nashville Mayor Requests Full Safety Review of City’s Public Bus Service Following Shooting

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

One month after announcing a transportation plan focused on more busses, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell reportedly requested a full safety review of the city’s public transportation service, WeGo, after a man was shot six times on the steps of the bus station located at Rep John Lewis Way & MLK Jr Blvd, according to WSMV.

On Thursday, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that a 31-year-old convicted felon was arrested for the shooting of an 18-year-old at the bus stop earlier in the day.

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Sonesta Hotel Apologizes, Reaches Resolution with Organizer of Israel Summit Over Cancelation of Nashville Event

Kaitlin Housler
Sonesta Nashville Airport

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation and HaYovel, one of the organizers of the 2024 Israel Summit, have reportedly reached a “resolution” following the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel’s decision last week to breach its contract and withdraw from hosting the summit.

Sonesta and HaYovel released a joint statement on Friday announcing the update.

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Washington D.C. Left-Wing Advocacy Group Human Rights Campaign Foundation Behind Williamson County Transgender Lawsuit

Matthew Giffin

A Washington D.C.-based left-wing advocacy group called the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is behind a lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education challenging a state law that restricts students from using multi-person restrooms that do not match their sex.

The plaintiff, a transgender minor, is represented by two attorneys with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a nonprofit organization under the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC describes itself as “the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization” on its website with local groups in most states.

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Sonesta Hotel Management Silent After Pulling Venue Booked for 2024 Israel Summit in Nashville

Tom Pappert
Israel Flag

The Massachusetts-based asset management company which owns the Sonesta Nashville Airport hotel currently under threat of legal action over its decision to cancel the use of its venue for the 2024 Israel Summit did not respond to a Wednesday press inquiry by The Tennessee Star.

The hotel company’s silence comes amid conflicting claims by the Sonesta Nashville Airport hotel’s general manager, Troy Carver, and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).

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Ramsey Event Center in Franklin to Host Israel Summit

Kaitlin Housler
Ramsey Event Center

The Ramsey Event Center in Franklin will hold the 2024 Israel Summit next week after the event’s original venue, the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel, broke its contractual obligation to host the summit.

“God is doing amazing things in Tennessee, and we are even more excited about the upcoming Israel Summit,” two of the summit’s sponsors, HaYovel and The Israel Guys, announced Tuesday. “Dave Ramsey stepped in TODAY and offered his state-of-the-art event center for the Israel Summit!”

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Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, Local Law Enforcement Silent About McKenzie McClure Investigation

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, a state-level law enforcement agency, conducted interviews of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure while Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) did not take action.

According to the criminal complaint against McClure, who left a voicemail of a “threatening nature” for her former school Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security became involved in the investigation of McClure. As of now, there are no publicly available details as to how the department became involved in the case.

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Arrest of Transgender Former Student Who Allegedly Threatened Nashville’s Christ Presbyterian Academy Raises Troubling Parallels to Covenant Killer

Tom Pappert
McKenzie McClure, Audrey Elizabeth Hale

The recent arrest of McKenzie McClure, the biological female and former Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) student federal authorities accused of cyberstalking following alleged threats to CPA in Nashville, shares concerning similarities with the circumstances which preceded the tragic Covenant School shootings by Audrey Elizabeth Hale last year in which the former Covenant School student killed 3 students and 3 staff members before she, in turn, was killed by Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers.

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Transgender Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking Was Previously Charged with Domestic Assault in 2022

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

A transgender alleged cyberstalker who caused a Nashville Christian school to close for a day in March after sending a disconcerting message was previously charged with domestic assault, according to court records.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was charged twice with domestic assault according to Williamson County public court records. The records list the “violation date” on each charge as August 21, 2022.

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Embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert Will ‘Absolutely Not’ Resign, Declares Transparency to Begin After She’s ‘Given Authority’

Tom Pappert
Wanda Halbert

Wanda Halbert, the embattled Shelby County Clerk currently facing a legal petition for her removal from office, confirmed in Tuesday remarks to a Memphis media personality that she will not resign amid court proceedings.

Halbert currently awaits a court date following a 49-page petition submitted by Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp which alleged the clerk demonstrated “willful neglect to perform” duties associated with her office.

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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Declares His Transportation Referendum ‘Very Progressive’

Tom Pappert
Freddie O'Connell

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell described his “Choose How You Move” transportation referendum as “very progressive” in a Wednesday interview, highlighting the endeavor as one of the most progressive acts of his administration.

O’Connell was asked by The Guardian, which describes itself as “the world’s leading liberal voice,” to what level he views himself “as a progressive leader in a state that is not politically progressive” following the 2022 redistricting process that split Nashville between multiple congressional districts.

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Days After Threatening Governor Bill Lee and His Wife, Former Christ Presbyterian Academy Student Who Now Identifies as Male Arrested on Cyberstalking Charge

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure on CPA Campus

A former student of Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville was arrested on suspicion of cyberstalking days after possibly making a public threat toward Governor Bill Lee and his wife Maria Lee.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was arrested by federal agents after they observed troubling social media activity and McClure left a concerning voicemail to CPA on March 24, 2024, that caused two schools to shut down the following day.

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DOJ Confirms Person Who Sent ‘Disconcerting’ Message to Christian School Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking

Matthew Giffin
Christ Presbyterian Academy

An individual who sent a message causing a Nashville private Christian school to close back in March was arrested for alleged cyberstalking, according to court documents. The person also appears to identify as a member of the LGBTQ community.

On March 24, days before the anniversary of the Covenant School shooting, Christ Presbyterian Academy received a message containing “disconcerting language towards the safety of our campus,” school officials said in an email to parents at the time, WSMV reported. CPA and neighboring Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood closed the next day due to safety concerns. 

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Metro Legal Responds to Claim Transportation Referendum Not Legally Authorized

Matthew Giffin
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Metro Government has responded to a criticism that Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed transportation plan is not legal under state law.

Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham recently called O’Connell’s referendum illegal because it would increase taxes to fund projects he argues are not covered by the IMPROVE Act, like sidewalks and traffic signals.

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Judge Merchan Uses Trump’s Interview with John Fredericks to Declare Former President in Contempt of Court

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump was held in contempt on Monday by New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan over remarks the former president made on April 22 to radio and television host John Fredericks during an appearance on Outside the Beltway.

Merchan previously gagged Trump with an order preventing him from discussing prosecutors, witnesses, jurors or the judge, with the fines and potential jail time listed as potential repercussions.

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Tennessee to Require Social Media Companies to Get Parental Consent for Minors

The Center Square
Bill Lee Social Media Bill

Social media companies in Tennessee will need to verify parental consent before allowing minors to create accounts in the state starting Jan. 1.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill, which along with age verification and parental consent, requires social media companies to allow parents access to monitor the account with privacy settings, daily time restrictions and creating breaks where the minor cannot use the social media.

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Leaders at College in Tennessee Cave to Demands of Pro-Palestine Protestors

Peter D'Abrosca
Dr. Robert Pearigen

Leaders at the University of the South reportedly caved to the demands of pro-Palestinian protestors who were occupying the All Saints’ Chapel on the school’s campus. 

Among other things, the protestors demanded full disclosure of how the school spends its $400,000 endowment, and that the school cut ties with any organizations that makes weapons used against Palestinians. 

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Congressman Andy Ogles Among House Republicans Seeking to Prevent the Resettling of Palestinians into the U.S.

Kaitlin Housler
Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is among a group of House Republicans requesting that a provision be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill to prohibit Palestinian refugees from being imported and resettled into U.S. communities.

Ogles, along with U.S. Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) and Scott Perry (R-PA-10), are specifically seeking a provision in the funding bill that “prohibits expenditures of any funds to issue a visa or grant parole to any alien holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.”

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Memphis Mayor, Shelby County D.A. Seek Tougher Penalties for Automatic Gun Conversion Devices in Tennessee

Tom Pappert
Steve Mulroy and Paul Young

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy was joined on Thursday by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Interim Police Chief C.J. Davis to call on Tennessee lawmakers to increase the state’s penalties for criminals who make handguns fully automatic using converter devices known as “switches.”

Mulroy said the “so-called Glock switches” are “relatively cheap and easy to maintain and they basically turn handguns into effective machine guns.”

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Tennessee Firearms Association Sues ATF over Private Gun Sale Rule

Peter D'Abrosca
Hunting

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is joining a lawsuit with several states and pro-Second Amendment groups against the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which says that the ATF far too broadly interpreting a new law passed by Congress regarding private gun sales.

The lawsuit stems from the definition of the term “‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms,” and claims that the ATF is angling to make citizens who sell even one firearm privately subject to licensure that large firearms sellers must obtain, according to a release from TFA.

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