They’re keeping it under wraps because if it got out it would hurt their agenda. They know it. We know it.

 

Lawyer believes decision on release of Covenant shooter’s writings could take up to 3 years.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The debate over whether the Covenant shooter’s writings should be released continues four months after the tragic mass shooting that claimed six innocent lives at a private, elementary school in Nashville.

The court battle has been back and forth for two months now, but one of the lawyers tells FOX 17 News this case may not be resolved for three years.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake says the shooter had a detailed map, drawings of The Covenant School, known entry points, and journals. Almost four months later, the writings have yet to be released, despite public records requests from several organizations which are now suing the Metro government.

“What was going on with The Covenant School shooter? What were the motivating factors? Were there psychological issues? Were there organic issues?” says John Harris, the attorney representing the Tennessee Firearms Association.

TFA is one of several organizations suing for the writings.

Metro Police originally denied the open records citing an open criminal investigation, but Harris believes since the shooter is dead and they haven’t identified another person of interest, that exception doesn’t apply. Plus, Harris feels Metro Police need to comply with The Tennessee Public Records Act.

“Did you think that this whole process would last this long?” asks FOX 17 News’ Amanda Chin.

“Absolutely not. These cases were filed, and we expected that the show cause hearings would’ve taken place as initially scheduled back in May, and here we are almost two months later and the case is nowhere near resolution,” says Harris.

This comes after the judge allowed The Covenant School, church, and parents to intervene and discuss why they feel the writings shouldn’t be released. The petitioners appealed that decision, which is why the judge paused the case for now.

“Do the petitioners take any responsibility for this case lasting so long?” asks Chin.

“I don’t think so. Two of the petitioners are news media outlets and they were extremely concerned with the intervention issues because it proposes to create new exceptions to the public records act that had never existed,” says Harris.

On the other side, most of the Covenant families do not want the writings released, with many penning emotional letters to the judge.

The mother of William Kinney, one of the nine-year-old children who lost his life, believes those who are calling for the release of these records “clearly care nothing about the wellbeing of their fellow humans” and “seek to rob the six murder victims of dignity in their deaths by demanding the release of sensitive details.”

Nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus also lost her life. Her parents say in part,

“We are now lying in bed with our oldest daughter every night to console her, and our own, deep sadness of how we are to ever navigate life ahead of us without our Evelyn on this earth, by our sides.”

The Dieckhaus family believes the release of these writings could create a copycat effect.

“We as Covenant parents and families are resolute in our commitment to one, protect our children and families including those who were killed and all those who survived. Two, to protect our beloved school moving forward, and three, do our utmost to shield any future communities from having to endure this nightmare,” says Brent Leatherwood, a Covenant parent.

A clinical psychologist who’s an expert in trauma and disaster mental health even wrote a letter to the judge supporting Covenant parents.

“I think there’s a risk of public safety, I think there’s a risk for mental health harm to the children and families who survived The Covenant School shooting,” says Dr. Erika Felix, a clinical psychologist at The University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Felix also believes the release of these writings would also create a risk of inspiring a copycat attack.

“What would you say to those petitioners who feel this will help us learn why the shooter did this so we can prevent this from happening in the future?” asks Chin.

“A variety of law enforcement and emergency management organizations that work to try to keep our schools and communities safe, I think it’s important for them to have access to that. We can get the lessons learned simply by releasing it to them. It doesn’t need to be released to the public where it can live on the internet indefinitely,” believes Dr. Felix.

“When do you think this case can be resolved?” asks Chin.

“Depending on the path it takes, it could easily be 2026,” says Harris.

To throw another curveball into the mix, the shooter’s parents transferred ownership of the writings to the Covenant families in an effort to stop the release.

But Harris thinks who owns the records is irrelevant and calls this an unprecedented public records case.

As for a timeline, there isn’t one since the Appeals Court doesn’t have a deadline to make a decision.