The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that the writings of the person who killed three nine-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville can be made available to the public. The decision is part of a long-running dispute over public records related to the 2023 shooting that is likely not yet over.
The shooter left behind documents including journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. A group of Covenant parents had been fighting to keep them sealed, arguing that release would further traumatise their children and could inspire copycat attacks. A lower court sided with the parents in 2024, but Wednesday's ruling overturns much of that decision.
The appeals court explicitly noted the importance of the Tennessee Public Records Act as a tool to hold government officials accountable to citizens through oversight of government activities. It said the lower court's interpretation of a school safety exception was overly broad, rejecting the claim that every item created by the shooter over many years related to the Covenant School's security.
The court also dismissed the argument that federal copyright law prevented disclosure. The shooter's parents had transferred ownership of the documents to the Covenant families in 2024, but the appeals court said Metro Nashville Police could still allow inspection without breaching copyright, distinguishing between access for inspection and reproduction or display.
The case has been sent back to the lower court to amend the 2024 ruling. The Covenant parents have 60 days to appeal, and their attorney, Eric Osborne, said in an email on Thursday that no decision has been made yet. Many of the documents have already become public through leaks or an FBI release, although the full Nashville police investigative report remains sealed.
Those killed in the March 2023 shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
