The adult-court case now includes first-degree murder and evidence-tampering counts.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A grand jury in Knox County has indicted 16-year-old Malakiah Harris on first-degree murder and evidence-tampering charges in the 2024 stabbing death of 13-year-old Savannah Grace Copeland near a Powell walking trail.

The indictment marks a new stage in a case that began in juvenile court after Savannah was found dead on Oct. 22, 2024. Harris was 15 at the time of the killing. He has since been transferred to adult court, where prosecutors are pursuing a case built on court testimony, forensic findings, phone records and statements investigators say Harris made after the stabbing.

The grand jury action came on April 8, court records show. Harris faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence. The indictment followed a ruling by Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin, who found probable cause to send the case to Knox County Criminal Court. Irwin said the record supported a finding that the killing was premeditated. Harris remains in custody, and a judge previously declined to lower a $4 million bond requested by the defense.

Savannah, a Powell Middle School student, had left her home overnight before she was reported missing, investigators have said. Court testimony showed she went to meet Harris and his younger brother near the Broadacres subdivision so she could get a vape. The meeting took place near a pathway and a clearing between railroad tracks and the Broadacres neighborhood swimming pool. Savannah’s mother reported her missing that morning when she realized the girl was not at home. Her father, Michael Copeland, later said he used cell phone information while searching for her before she was found in the woods.

Investigators have said Harris told detectives the stabbing was self-defense. He claimed he turned around and Savannah was coming toward him. Court testimony described Harris as saying he grabbed a knife from Savannah, held her and stabbed her until she stopped moving. Detectives have said the evidence did not support the claim that Savannah, who was just over 5 feet tall, posed a serious threat. The medical examiner’s findings became a central part of the transfer hearing. Court records and testimony said Savannah suffered at least 93 stab wounds, most of them to the upper body.

Authorities have said Harris and his younger brother left Savannah on the ground and went home. Investigators also said the younger brother later led them to a discarded knife believed to be the murder weapon. The younger brother was friends with Savannah’s twin brother, according to reports of court testimony. Harris allegedly told his brother, “All you need to know is it was self-defense.” Prosecutors also pointed to communications they say Harris sent or made after the killing, including a text to a friend that said the “deed is done.”

The case drew more attention after investigators said Harris went to school the next day and made a statement to his girlfriend. He allegedly said, “I got my first body,” and admitted stabbing someone without naming Savannah. Those alleged remarks are now part of the public record surrounding the case. No clear motive has been identified. That unknown has weighed heavily on Savannah’s family. Michael Copeland said he feared there might never be a real answer for why his daughter was killed, and that the lack of an answer added to the family’s grief.

Savannah’s death also became part of a broader public conversation in Tennessee about services for children and families. Lawmakers later passed the Savannah Grace Copeland Act, named in her honor. The law increased support for child advocacy centers and forensic interviewers across Tennessee. It requires certain funding increases for child advocacy centers when state child protective services funding grows. Supporters said the measure was meant to strengthen services that assist child victims. The law does not decide the criminal case against Harris, but it shows how Savannah’s name moved from a Powell neighborhood tragedy into statewide legislation.

Friends and family have described Savannah as an energetic student who loved art, scary movies, cheerleading, gymnastics and karate. Her obituary said she loved her family and friends and hoped to attend the University of Tennessee to study forensic anthropology. Her father has said he wants the court process to show who she was, not only how she died. In Powell, the case has stayed visible through community support for the family and through hearings that have drawn attention to the details of the investigation.

Harris is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The adult-court indictment means the case will now proceed through criminal court, with prosecutors expected to rely on medical testimony, witness statements, digital evidence and the alleged recovery of the knife. The defense has raised self-defense and has also consulted mental health experts during earlier stages of the case. Future hearings are expected to address evidence, motions and trial scheduling.

The case now stands in Knox County Criminal Court after more than a year of juvenile proceedings, transfer hearings and public grief in Powell. The next major milestone will be the adult-court schedule that determines when Harris will face the charges before a judge or jury.

Author note: Last updated Friday, May 8, 2026.