Davidson County Chancery Court Judge I'Ashea L. Myles ruled on Wednesday that the parents of students who were killed or traumatized by the March 27 massacre at the Covenant School have a legal standing to intervene on behalf of their children in lawsuits requesting evidence, including the shooter's writings, be released to the public.
An attorney for the parents said at a court hearing before Myles this week that the parents don't want to see any of the police evidence ever made public, specifically the journals of the alleged shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who was killed by police.
"Let me be clear, what would create a slippery slope is if she decides that victims have a right to prevent access to police records," Fisher said."I think we're about to hear, according to what the lawyers said, testimony from witnesses that say why the writings of mass shooters should not be released."
In addition to the parents, Myles granted the Covenant Presbyterian Church and its school the right to intervene in the litigation. "We're interested because we're used to police being able to release things about crimes," Fisher said."We don't know what will happen if victims could, basically, prevent the release of police information, any police information. If that were the case, the police's hands will be tied on releasing information without the consent of the victim."
John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, a national gun rights advocacy group, told ABC News that it's"incredibly unusual" that the Covenant School shooter's writings haven't already been released.