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[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A middle school cheerleader was stabbed to death on a hiking trail near her Tennessee home late last month. Now the teenage boy accused of committing the murder may be tried as an adult.
Back on October 22, 13-year-old Savannah Copeland (pictured above) was found dead on a hiking trail near her home in Powell, Tennessee. She had been a middle school cheerleader, a driven student, and an active member of the local Powell United Methodist Church prior to her death.
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The next day, cops made a shocking arrest… of a 15-year-old kid! They charged the the boy with second-degree murder per a release from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, but at the time they weren’t releasing his name due to his status as a minor. Then, less than two days after the arrest, Judge Tim Irwin ruled the boy’s name should be released to the public. Cops have since identified him as Malakiah Lamar Harris. And that’s not all — prosecutors are also now pushing to try the boy as an adult.
Per the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Harris brought Savannah to the hiking trail just after midnight on the 22nd of October. There, he allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a pocketknife and left her to die. Her body was found hours later by her own father, Michael Copeland, who tracked the location of her cell phone, rushed into the woods and discovered his daughter’s lifeless remains.
Just awful…
Cops still haven’t indicated how — or even if — the two teens knew each other. Harris has been in jail since he was arrested. At a court hearing that took place on Monday, per 6 News, prosecutors indicated they are planning on pursing charges against the boy as an adult.
While mourning his daughter’s untimely death, Michael spoke to 8 WLVT about the crime. He noted that his daughter had been active in cheerleading, gymnastics, karate, and art. Her dream was to study forensic anthropology at the nearby University of Tennessee, too. The grieving father added:
“I think it was a lack of compassion and a lack of empathy that drove the hand that took my daughter’s life.”
He also spoke about how a groundswell of support from the Knoxville community has helped “restore my faith in God” through this awful tragedy. That support includes a financial push to aid the Copeland family via GoFundMe. As of Monday morning, a page dedicated to helping the family through Savannah’s death has raised nearly $52,000. You can visit that page HERE.
As for Harris, he is due back in court for his next appearance before a judge on January 14. Such an awful case…
[Image via GoFundMe]
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