A journal of writings from the Covenant School killer has officially been unveiled.
The Tennessee Star, led by Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy, released 90 pages of the killer’s writings from January through March of 2023. The troubling document was legally obtained by The Star in June of this year after it was seized by police following the March 27, 2023, massacre.
Many are now pouring through the pages to gain some understanding of what possessed this person to take the lives of three children and three adult staff members.
While there are more writings from the killer, including operational plans of attack on the Covenant School, The Star says this 90-page notebook offers some insight into the killer’s mental state. Just a quick warning that the following content is disturbing, and discretion going forward is advised.
Leahy went on Steven Crowder’s show to offer a quick rundown of the journal.
Perhaps the best reflection of the shooter’s mental state is the following quote on the first page: “Why does my brain not work right?? Cause I was born wrong!!! Nothing on Earth can save me… [never-ending] pain. Religion won’t save.”
The shooter, identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, sprinkled similar sentiments throughout the journal. She wrote the phrase “Everything hurts” on multiple pages and consistently indicated that she was willing and ready to die.
Much of this revolved around her belief that she was a man trapped in a woman’s body. This was reflected in multiple writings when she would sign them as “Aiden,” her self-appointed masculine name. She would also throw blame and ire toward God, even calling for “a boy body in heaven.”
Hale only seemed to care for a select few people, some of whom are named in this journal. She also signed a lot of the messages in this manifesto with “I love you” and messages about seeing somebody in Heaven.
There were multiple entries before the Covenant School shooting in which Hale says she was going to die the following day. Leading up to the final entry in the book, Hale began a sort of “countdown” for when her “death plan” would take shape and wrote that she would “regret nothing.”
An entry on the day of the shooting titled “DEATH DAY” is as chilling as it sounds and displays Hale’s readiness to kill and to be killed. It partially reads:
Today is the day. The day has finally come! I can’t believe it’s here. Don’t know how I was able to get this far, but here I am….Can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m ready… I hope my victims aren’t….God let my wrath take over my anxiety. It might be 10 minutes tops. It might be 3-7. It’s gunna go quick. I hope I have a high death count. Ready to Die.
The journal certainly sheds light on disturbing thoughts and behaviors, but one part is proving to be more confusing than anything else. On many pages, Hale drew an octagonal shape filled with triangles alternating by color.
The currently unidentified symbol shows up at different times in the journal, once accompanied by a statement reading “No regrets by the gun!!!”
Leahy plans to do a round of media interviews this week and it is hoped that he can shed some light on this bizarre symbol.