Malakiah Harris was a fifteen year old living in Tennessee when he allegedly would murder thirteen year old Savannah Copeland
According to police reports Savannah Copeland would sneak out of her home late at night in order to meet Malakiah Harris and his brother to receive a vape. For some reason which has not yet been made clear the thirteen year old girl would be stabbed to death
According to autopsy reports Savannah Copeland was stabbed at least ninety times
The next day Malakiah Harris borther would lead police to the murder weapon
Malakiah Harris would be arrested and has been moved up to adult court meaning he may face life in prison if convicted
Malakiah Harris News
A Knoxville teen faces first-degree murder and evidence tampering counts in the violent killing of a 13-year-old acquaintance in October 2024.
A Knox County grand jury indicted Malakiah Harris, 16, on April 8, records show.
He’s in custody, having been moved earlier this year from juvenile court to adult status to face prosecution in Knox County Criminal Court. A judge declined last month to alter the terms of his $4 million bond as the defense had requested.
Harris was 15 when he attacked Savannah Copeland late at night off a popular trail near the Broadacres subdivision in Powell, authorities allege. Savannah had slipped out of her house to meet Harris and his younger brother so she could have a vape, previous court testimony has shown.
Why he would want to kill her remains unclear. Savannah was stabbed more than 90 times, an autopsy showed.
Hours later, Harris’s younger brother led authorities to the discarded knife that’s thought to have been the murder weapon. The younger brother was good friends with Savannah Copeland’s twin brother.
Malakiah Harris More News
Malakiah Harris, the teen charged with the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Powell, will be tried as an adult. The decision came down Thursday.
Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin said the premeditated manner of the murder led to his decision. The call came after two days of testimony from law enforcement and witnesses.
Thursday, the court heard from Chief Medical Examiner of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan.
She said the girl, Savannah Copeland, had at least 93 stab wounds — mostly to her upper body — and was too hurt to call for help.
The cause of death was excessive bleeding and collapsed lungs. A forensics expert testified that a bent knife was found in a culvert.
Judge Irwin said the crime was premeditated and that probable cause to move Harris to adult court was proven.
Savannah’s father, Michael Copeland, said it was hard to hear the details presented in court.
He said he is hoping to get answers during the trial.
“I have — I guess you can say — a horrible, horrible fear that there’s not gonna be any kind of real motive and so there’s not gonna be a good answer to any of this, and that part breaks my heart as much as anything, and certainly if there’s other people who are involved or who were neglectful,” Copeland said.
Copeland said hearing testimony from teens made him question what is being taught to young people about compassion.
“When kids are boasting or talking about doing these horrible things, it’s easy to dismiss them and ignore them and believe it would never happen, but it makes me wonder what exactly are we teaching our children, and I just think that we gotta figure out a way to do a better job at teaching compassion,” he said.
Copeland said the decision to transfer Harris to criminal court was what he was hoping for.
“It’s not really a matter of finding some sort of will to stay strong. It’s just that what is the alternative at this point, so we keep moving forward because it’s what we have to do,” he said.
Savannah Copeland’s body was found in October of 2024. Her death prompted outcry from the entire Powell community.
Harris has now been charged with Second Degree Murder and moved to Knox County adult jail and is being held on a $4,000,000 bond.
