The CPRC has pointed out many times that these mass murderers are suicidal, but they want to commit suicide in a way that will get them attention. That is what the new police report on Nashville Covenant school murderer concludes was her motive. The murder “expressed suicidal thoughts regularly.” Her goal was to commit suicide in a way that would get her “notoriety.” Despite the obvious mental problems that the murderer had with her trans identity, there is no attempt by the police report to link her mental illness to her being transgender. Indeed, even the term gender was only mentioned in passing four times in the report, and it was never directly tied to her mental illness.
While she was seeing mental health professionals, the report concludes that they did not identify her as a danger because “she withheld information from providers to prevent her from being stopped.”
Motive
In short, the motive determined over the course of the investigation was notoriety.
Even though numerous disappointments in relationships, career aspirations, and independence fueled her depression, and even though this depression made her highly suicidal, this doesn’t explain the attack. As Hale wrote on several occasions, if suicide was her goal then she would have simply killed herself.
Throughout the writings and videos, Hale frequently commented that her death needed to matter and be remembered. Throughout her life, Hale experienced loneliness and disappointment. She felt abandoned and ignored by those she longed to befriend and engage with romantically, which angered her more than anything else. She believed that by simply committing suicide, she would be quickly forgotten and not even worthy of a footnote in history. She craved the notoriety Harris and Klebold attained following Columbine. This can be seen clearly with the frequent references in her writings and videos of how they became “gods” following their attack. This led to a deep desire on her part to become a “god” like them and other mass killers who attained notoriety, even if it meant infamy.
Hale longed for her name and actions to be remembered long after she was dead. She wanted absolute control of the narrative surrounding the attack, particularly her motives. She saw herself as a victim in the attack, and even though at times she saw herself equal to those she would kill, there were occasions she considered herself to be “the true victim” in the attack. She expected there would be books and documentaries dedicated to her and the attack, how her bedroom would become a museum dedicated to her memory, and expected her firearms, artwork, and writings to be prominently displayed in museums worldwide. She wanted her mental health to be a prominent topic of discussion and debate. Most disturbingly, she wanted the things she left behind to be shared with the world so she could inspire and teach others who were “mentally disordered” like her to plan and commit an attack of their own. . . .