Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty Images
A judge has denied a public records request to release the writings of the school shooter who killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, last year.
Chancery Court Judge I'Ashea Myles found that the parents and children at the school have copyright over "the original writings, journals, art, photos, and videos" created by the shooter, Audrey Hale.
Judge Myles said that Hale's family inherited the documents, which included 20 journals, a suicide note, and a memoir, and then transferred them to the families at The Covenant School.
Several groups filed a public records request following the shooting, demanding the release of the documents. The Metro Nashville Police denied the request but said they would release them once their investigation into the shooting was complete.
The groups appealed, arguing that the investigation was complete because Hale acted alone and was deceased.
However, parents and school officials objected to the release, claiming it would be traumatic for the families who lost their loved ones and could inspire copycat attacks.