The Tennessee Star has released a PDF of one of Covenant shooter Audrey Hale’s journals, following lengthy efforts by victims’ families to prevent publication. The document, which we post below, is in places crude and graphic, while failing to answer many of the questions around the shooting, including whether Hale was molested by the pedophile at Covenant church.
Indeed, the document failed to answer many of our questions, including allegations we have received that the shooter mentioned Grant and Gracie Solomon.
Among the themes in the document:
- Hale’s struggles with gender dysphoria.
- Anger over a perceived lack of acceptance by her family.
- Struggles with mental illness.
- Obsession with several romantic interests.
- Idolization of prior active shooters.
Contrary to the representations of groups opposing the release, the document contains no information about security measures at the school or other details likely to increase risk for current students.
To be clear—the release does not include numerous other documents seized, including other journals, a spiral notebook, and a suicide note. Thus, it is possible that other writings contain additional information about the shootings, Hale’s motives, and prior criminal conduct at Covenant.
Anglican Watch reiterates its call to Covenant Church leaders to come clean about the church’s past coverup of a pedophile at the church. Specifically, church leaders knew about the abuse and removed the offender from the church, but failed to report the matter to police until after the statute of limitations had run.
Additionally, Covenant leaders committed perjury by falsely accusing whistleblower Austin Davis, who exposed the pedophile and related cover-up to the public, of threatening the church.
Anglican Watch has contacted the church previously, demanding that it act with integrity, only to be ignored. We also have previously published demands that the church repent of its criminal actions.
Anglican Watch reminds the church and school that they are mandatory reporters under Tennessee state law. They, like Brentwood Academy and Grace Christian Academy, have failed to report child sexual abuse, resulting in the murder of Grant Solomon, the sexual and emotional abuse of Gracie Solomon, and other egregious forms of child abuse.
While we grieve for the Covenant victims and their families, Anglican Watch remains dedicated to First Amendment rights, including the rights of the public to access potentially incriminating evidence of abuse at Covenant.
Readers are urged to use discretion in reading the document, below, due to its explicit language and references to death.
Anglican Watch makes no copyright claim as to the material, but republishes it in a gesture of solidarity with the Tennessee Star and other advocates for First Amendment rights. We urge the courts to permit the release of all the documents so that we and others might better understand the possible connections between the mass shootings and past child sexual abuse at Covenant Presbyterian.
Lastly, we remind readers that, contrary to early reports on social media, neither Austin Davis nor any member of his family in any way participated in the shootings. Any claim to the contrary is false and defamatory.
There are two things that stay in my mind. Well a lot of things but two in particular. If there are 22 years of therapy records from Vanderbilt, authorities could make the speculation go away just by saying (knowing a court, or a leak, may one day release the records), that there are no records showing Hale ever said he was abused.
Second, and granted I don’t live in Tennessee and am not aware of all the coverage there, but it seems odd that such a high profile event has had so little to say about or from Hale’s parents. I don’t think I’ve even seen a thing about their background, where they work, where they go to church, only that they were well-off and very religious. I’ve volunteered with homeless kids and so many are gay or transgender, abuse victims, kids who were thrown out or ran away. The numbers spiked during covid, so many kids being stuck at home in dangerous situations or fleeing profound isolation in a religious home that punishes them not stop for being who they are. I’ve heard more than a few stories about friends who took their own lives during or after conversion therapy.
I don’t know what happened here. I feel for the families that lost so much–I know that grief and it is unbearable. I understand why they would not want details of the worst day of their lives plastered all over the internet forever for conspiracy theorist, the crime obsessed, for people to use as entertainment. There is nothing as stomach turning as getting a call from a reality show producer wanting to exploit your pain for profit. But I fled an evangelical upbringing the moment I was able and as many of you are I am very familiar with the innerworking of these organizations. Whether or not it had anything to do with the tragedy at the school, it is clear something is very wrong at this church. And frankly, in this entire Nashville community protecting the wrong people at every turn.
One last thing, and I’m sorry to go on for so long. Scientist are discovering more and more overlaps between children who receive an autism diagnosis and children who are abused. There are overlapping symptoms, and while a lot of research needs to be done (are autistic kids more likely to be taken advantage of, or are their “autism” symptoms actually ptsd?), a few white papers I’ve read on this subject came to mind reading the blogposts on the history of this church and Hale. I’m not a doctor, but I do know what ptsd does to the mind and the soul. I also know that it is exceedingly rare for a pedophile to have only one victim and every parent of every kid who attended that church or school while Perry was there has a right to know the truth.
We agree wholeheartedly. And the fact that Covenant Nashville ran out the clock on the statute of limitations in the Perry case is very, very wrong and alarming.