A 13-year-old girl ‘sneaked out of her home’ in the early hours of the morning but her dead body with 93 stab wounds was tragically later discovered – a 16-year-old has been charged with murder
A teenager who allegedly stabbed a 13-year-old girl 93 times in a deadly attack supposedly claimed it was “self-defence”.
Malakiah Harris, now 16, was accused of killing Savannah Copeland when he was just 15 years old then allegedly bragged that he got his “first body”.
The teen has been charged with first-degree murder and faces two charges of tampering with evidence, following the 13-year-old’s death and a judge ruled, earlier this year, that the 16-year-old will be tried as an adult.
Savannah had allegedly sneaked out of her home, in Tennessee, to meet up with Harris and his brother, on October 24, 18 months ago in 2024.
The trio were supposedly meant to meet up in the early hours of the morning to get a vape but Harris claimed to detectives that: “I turned around and she was coming at me.”
Court documents said Savannah was stabbed at least 93 times, mostly on her upper body, on the Powell walking trail near Knoxville, Tennesee.
The suspect allegedly continued to stab the 13-year-old as she tried to run away, and the two brothers supposedly left her body on the ground and walked back home, according to US TV Network Law & Crime.
Savannah’s twin brother and the Harris’ brother were friends, according to police. Harris allegedly told his brother: “All you need to know is it was self-defence.”
The then 15-year-old supposedly went into school the next day and told his girlfriend “I got my first body” and allegedly admitted to stabbing someone but did not reveal their identity.
Police added that the suspect allegedly messaged a friend on the night of the killing and said: “Deed is done”. Cops added that there is no known motive for the alleged fatal attack.
Savannah’s dad, Michael Copeland, speaking to WVLT8, in February said: “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.”
The heartbroken dad added: “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.”
This comes after Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin, in February, decided Harris would be tried as an adult. The judge said part of the reason for his decision was that the alleged murder was premeditated and there was probable cause.
