A Tennessee boy accused of fatally stabbing a 13-year-old cheerleader late last month will be tried as an adult.
Malakiah Lamar Harris, 15, faces second-degree murder charges in connection to the Oct. 22 murder of Savannah Copeland.
Prosecutors announced their intention to prosecute Harris as an adult. His next court appearance was set for January 14.
Harris allegedly lured Copeland to a dirt walking trail in a wooded area off Cranley Road in Powell before repeatedly stabbing her just after midnight.
“I think it was a lack of compassion and a lack of empathy that drove the hand that took my daughter’s life,” the girl’s father said.
Harris’ motive remains unclear. Savannah’s father revealed that he grew worried about her when she vanished for several hours and used a tracking app to locate her body.
