The writings of the person who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville last year cannot be released to the public, a judge ruled Thursday.
Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles found that The Covenant School children and parents hold the copyright to any writings or other works created by shooter Audrey Hale, a former student who was killed by police. As part of the effort to keep the records closed, Hale’s parents transferred ownership of Hale’s property to the victims’ families, who then argued in court that they should be allowed to determine who has access to them.
Myles agreed, ruling that “the original writings, journals, art, photos and videos created by Hale” are subject to an exception to the Tennessee Public Records Act created by the federal Copyright Act.
The shooter left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. When the records requests were denied, several parties sued, and the situation quickly ballooned into a messy mix of conspiracy theories, leaked documents, probate battles and accusations of ethical misconduct. Myles’ order will almost surely be appealed.
Good.
We don’t need to feed Christianity’s martyr complex.
Just an endless search for justifications to be the victim. An endless desire to be the victim.
If the killer’s parents were approached by Fox/TMZ who wanted to turn just a few pages into some whacko documentary, would it be right to withhold the rest of the lunatic ramblings?
IDK how to feel about this, just know it’s weird
The victims families own the copyright, not the killers parents.
They transferred ownership to the victims families so anyone looking to make money off of it would be paying the victims families.
The article states that the parents signed over the killer’s estate to the victims’ parents.
Which is why this case might feel fair to plenty of people. If you’re allowed to sign over an estate, though, and you sign it over to someone with a profit motive, maybe you’re allowed to essentially sell evidence the public is normally entitled to.
Writings should be released to expose their motive. The judge could put an order any money made be given to the family. But the public is mature enough to read it.
Edit: Hollywood pumps out movies constantly with war and gun violence themes but suddenly we’re not mature enough to handle this? Or is it the writing of a bullied trans kid that bothers them so much? Well now we won’t know.
You’re missing the point entirely. Releasing the material was, presumptively, part of the shooters motivation. Increasing the notoriety of the perpetrator. Releasing the material would validate the shooters motives and encourage copycats. I don’t know why you would think that’s not enough.
How is this different from any other shooting where there is a manifesto left behind? This is nothing new and it is very common that they are released very shortly after the shooting.
-
It’s becoming less and less common. Stephen Paddocks motives weren’t released til 3 years or so later. If the Uvalde shooter had one it wasn’t released. Anything known about the Newtown shooter was found by journalists way later. The rest happen when the killer is still alive.
-
This is the only case that I know of where the killers writings are under control of the victims families.
It is material was reviewed by a judge, the shooters family and the victims families. If you want to say it’s presumptively a manifesto and not almost definitely a manifesto. Then use that distinction to rationalize your point, congratulations.
It’s not about the public’s ‘rights’ tho. It’s about the victims’ families and their rights … which in this case the judge decided on the side of the families.
I for one am glad of that because it gives the families at least some sense of control over a situation they originally had zero control over.
Gun regulation is control which is declined.
A judge Giving away first amendment rights seems wrong. Making an “exception” to a law made specifically for this.
Seems to me it would only be blocked if it was embarrassing. Everyone in the shooters life could’ve failed them because they’re ’good Christian’s’. The kid could’ve also been insane but now we won’t know will we.
Ok. So how would you personally benefit from the killer’s writings being publically released?
this sounds like ai generated bs for the onion but goddamn if we haven’t arrived lol jesus
