Nashville Court Ruling Opens Access to School Shooter’s Writings
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has decided to permit public access to the writings of the individual responsible for the tragic shooting at a Nashville private Christian elementary school in 2023, which resulted in the deaths of three children and three adults. The decision, announced on Wednesday, is a significant development in an ongoing legal battle over public records related to the event.
The shooter’s documents, which include journals, a suicide note, and a memoir, have been at the center of a dispute involving Covenant parents who have sought to prevent their release. The parents argue that making these writings public could lead to further trauma for their children and possibly inspire copycat attacks.
Initially, a lower court ruled in favor of the parents in 2024, but the appeals court has now overturned much of that decision. The case could set a precedent for the handling of records in similar school shooting cases. Despite this, much of the information has already been leaked or released through separate public records requests and lawsuits, although the full investigative report by Nashville police remains sealed.
The appeals court highlighted the significance of the Tennessee Public Records Act, describing it as “a tool to hold government officials and agencies accountable to the citizens of Tennessee through oversight in government activities.” The lower court had previously classified the shooting records under an exception to the Public Records Act due to their connection with school safety, a view the appeals court found overly broad.
“We are asked to accept at face value the trial court’s finding that every single item compiled or created by the shooter, for many years before the event at issue, relates to the Covenant School’s security. This conclusion strains credulity,” remarked the appeals court.
Additionally, the lower court had argued that the writings were protected by federal copyright law. In response, the shooter’s parents transferred ownership of these documents to the Covenant families in 2024, seeking to control access to them. The appeals court, however, noted that the Metro Nashville Police could permit public inspection of the records without violating copyright law.
“The trial court and the Parents, however, conflate the concept of access for inspection with reproduction and display,” the court stated.
The appeals court has returned the case to the lower court for amendments, and the Covenant parents have 60 days to appeal. Their attorney, Eric Osborne, mentioned that a decision on further legal action is still pending.
The victims of the March 2023 shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged 9, along with adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
