KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Malakiah Harris, the teen charged with stabbing a 13-year-old Powell girl to death, has been indicted by a Knox County grand jury. He’s facing a first-degree murder charge and two charges of tampering with evidence, according to a grand jury report.
The news comes just months after Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin decided Harris would be tried as an adult in the killing of Savannah Copeland. Court records say the girl had at least 93 stab wounds, most of which were on her upper body.
That was part of the reason Irwin decided to move Harris into adult court. The judge said Copeland’s murder was premeditated and there was probable cause to move the teen’s case.
Copeland’s body was found off a Powell walking trail in October of 2024. In the more than a year since her passing, the Powell community has rallied behind her family, including her outspoken father.
