15-year-old claims self-defense in 93-strike stabbing, faces more charges

A grand jury in Tennessee formally accused a teenager who was 15 at the time he allegedly stabbed a 13-year-old girl 93 times on a pathway, later telling his girlfriend he had his "first kill."

Now 16, Malakiah Harris faces first-degree murder charges for the death of Savannah Copeland near Knoxville.

Earlier this year, a judge decided Harris would be tried as an adult.

Reports suggest Savannah had snuck out to meet Harris and his brother for a vape early on October 22, 2024.

"I turned around and she was coming at me," Harris stated to police officers, as noted in a court document from local NBC affiliate WBIR.

Investigators concluded that Savannah, who was just over 5 feet tall, posed no real threat to Harris.

It's alleged that he continued stabbing her even as she attempted to flee and collapsed. Harris and his brother then allegedly left her there and returned home.

"The only thing you need to know is it was self-defense," Harris was reported to have told his brother.

According to law enforcement, Savannah's twin brother and Harris' brother were acquaintances.

The next school day, Harris allegedly informed his then-girlfriend, "I got my first body."

Although he claimed to have stabbed someone, he didn’t name the person. That night, he reportedly texted a friend saying the "task is accomplished," according to police.

When Savannah's mother found her missing that morning, she reported her absence, detectives mentioned, citing WBIR.

The reason behind the alleged crime remains unclear, something that deeply troubles Savannah's father.

"I harbor — you might call it — a grave, profound fear that no clear motive will emerge, leaving unanswered questions that are heart-wrenching and especially if others were negligent or involved," Michael Copeland shared with local CBS affiliate WVLT.

Savannah attended Powell Middle School and aspired to join the University of Tennessee to pursue forensic anthropology.