Inset: Savannah Copeland (Background: Mynatt Funeral Home). Background: Malakiah Harris during a court hearing for allegedly killing Savannah (WBIR).
In a harrowing case that has gripped Tennessee, a 16-year-old boy now faces an adult trial after allegedly committing a brutal crime at the age of 15. Malakiah Harris has been indicted by a grand jury for the first-degree murder of 13-year-old Savannah Copeland, a tragedy that took place near Knoxville.
According to reports, Savannah had sneaked out of her home during the early hours of October 22, 2024, to meet Harris and his brother. Their meeting was allegedly centered around acquiring a vape. What unfolded next, however, is a scene of unimaginable violence.
In a chilling account, Harris reportedly told detectives, “I turned around and she was coming at me,” as recounted by WBIR, a local NBC affiliate. Despite his claims, investigators have concluded that Savannah, standing just over 5 feet tall, posed no real threat to Harris.
Shockingly, Harris is accused of continuing his vicious attack, even as Savannah attempted to escape. As she fell to the ground, her life was brutally ended with 93 stab wounds. Afterwards, Harris and his brother allegedly abandoned her body and returned home, leaving the gruesome scene behind.
In a disturbing twist, Harris allegedly boasted to his girlfriend about the act, referring to it as his “first body.” Meanwhile, he reportedly sought to justify his actions to his brother as “self-defense.” The court’s decision to try Harris as an adult underscores the severity of these accusations as the community grapples with the senseless loss of a young life.
“All you need to know is it was self-defense,” Harris allegedly told his brother.
Savannah’s twin brother and Harris’ brother were friends, per cops.
Harris went to school the next day, where he allegedly told his then-girlfriend, “I got my first body.” He allegedly admitted to stabbing someone but did not identify the victim. He also texted a buddy the “deed is done” on the night of the slaying, cops say.
Savannah’s mother reported her missing when she realized she was not in the home that morning, detectives said, per WBIR.
There’s no known motive for the alleged murder, which does not sit well with Savannah’s father.
“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,” Michael Copeland told local CBS affiliate WVLT.
Savannah was a student at Powell Middle School and had hoped to attend the University of Tennessee to study forensic anthropology.
“She loved her family, she loved her friends, and she loved art,” her obituary said.
