Covenant school trans shooter's full manifesto released: 'If God won’t give me a boy body'

Julio Rosas September 04, 2024 The Blaze News

'Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm ready. ... I hope my victims aren't.'

The complete manifesto of the shooter who killed three students and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville in 2023 has been published by the Tennessee Star after more than a year of authorities apparently attempting to keep the document from the public.

The manifesto is 90 pages and gives important insight into why Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who went by Aiden, decided to attack the school she had previously attended. Hale was killed by responding Nashville Metro police officers. Hale's manifesto was acquired by police in the shooter's car.

On the first page, Hale wrote in large font: "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 notebook also served as Hale's diary, which shows that the shooter was clearly mentally unwell. She wrote on January 17, 2023: "Everything makes me sad. I am sad about everything. I want to say goodbye. P.S. It was too sudden. I am unstable."

'I hope I have a high death count.'

Hale wrote about her hatred toward her father. Under "Dad problems," Hale said she hated "his old cranky-man existence. All cranky good-for-nothing mentally ill men SHOULD DIE. they're all useless pieces of s**t. waste of life, waste of time."

Hale wrote lengthy paragraphs about how her "penis exists" in her "head."

"I swear to god I'm a male. ... I was damned to be born this way."

Leading up to the day of the shooting, Hale described her deep pain over not being a male and her hatred for God: "If God won’t give me a boy body in heaven then Jesus is a f****t."

On the day of the shooting, March 27, the tone switched to elation, as that day would be the day she would finally unleash her built-up rage. Hale called it "Death Day" and drew a gun. She showed no sign of remorse for her plan to target young schoolchildren.

"Today is the day. The day has finally come! I can't believe it's here. ... I'm a little bit nervous, but excited too. ... Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm ready. ... I hope my victims aren't. ... I hope I have a high death count."

Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor in chief of the Tennessee Star, explained that his outlet is sharing the full manifesto because it serves the public interest to know the state of mind of the killer.

"We legally obtained writings by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, MNPD investigation documents, and MNPD crime scene photos from a source familiar with the MNPD investigation in June 2024. These documents and photos have helped us inform the public about the underlying reasons for this heinous attack and have helped drive the public discussion of what should be done to prevent such acts of violence in the future. We have documented a massive failure of the mental health system as a root cause of Hale’s reprehensible actions,” Leahy said.