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Can the estate of a mass murderer assert a posthumous copyright claim over the killer’s handwritten confession?
A Nashville judge is expected to weigh that issue today as part of a public records lawsuit against the city and its police department seeking the release of Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto in connection with the Covenant Christian School massacre.
When Hale died, her parents transferred her estate to her victims’ families. The families have intervened in the public records lawsuit against the city and are arguing that the estate includes the killer’s manifesto and that therefore they own the copyright.
Through that line of reasoning, they are also asking the judge to block its public release.
“You can’t just assume there is a copyright interest on any particular writing,” argued Doug Pierce, an attorney for plaintiffs Clata Renee Brewer and the National Police Association. “The only way they could get copyright protection established is if they would have to show the documents in federal court — in other words, they gotta let the cat out of the bag.”
In a separate federal lawsuit brought by the parent company of a local newspaper, a judge ordered the FBI to file the manifesto under seal so the court could review it while deciding whether the feds have a legal argument to validate the shroud of secrecy.
Audrey Hale was identified by police as the shooter who opened fire at the Covenant School, killing six people. (Audrey Hale)
The manifesto is expected to reveal more about the killer’s motive and rage.
Several pages believed to have come from the document leaked in November. However, the lawsuits are seeking the full extent of Hale’s writings.
Critics have questioned the government’s motive behind continued delays in its release.
