KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE WEDNESDAY: The 15-year-old Knox County boy accused of stabbing to death a 13-year-old female acquaintance appeared in juvenile court Wednesday for a brief hearing and faces another court appearance Oct. 30.
WBIR is presently not naming the defendant, who is being held at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center.
Knox County Juvenile Court Magistrate James "Bo" Reed set a hearing for Thursday morning to further consider the question of identifying the defendant and releasing public records in his case.
WBIR filmed the young man Wednesday morning from the chest down walking in the detention center. Cameras, as is routine, were prohibited in the courtroom itself.
He is charged by juvenile petition with second-degree murder in the child's death early Tuesday. She is identified in records by her initials.
Reed, reading the petition to the boy and his grandfather, said he's accused of meeting the girl sometime after 12 a.m. Tuesday near 7700 Cranley Road, near a swimming pool in the Broadacres subdivision in Powell.
The boy used a pocketknife to stab the victim "multiple times," resulting in her death, authorities allege. The victim had just celebrated her 13th birthday in September.
He said little Wednesday morning except to acknowledge he understood the charge against him. Court authorities told Reed they want him to remain in custody while the case is being adjudicated.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office said the girl was killed along a trail often used by children in the area. Two people found her body Tuesday afternoon, and investigators were summoned, according to KCSO.
The boy was arrested shortly after and held in juvenile custody.
Reed appointed Christina Kleiser of the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office to represent the boy.
Kleiser told Reed she needed time to meet with her client and his family. Still to be determined, she said, is whether the defense would seek a probable cause hearing at which the state would have to present proof of what they say the boy did.
Also to be determined: Whether Knox County prosecutors will seek to have him transferred to adult status so that he can stand trial in Knox County Criminal Court.
Juveniles rarely transfer over from the juvenile court, which has control over them until their 19th birthday, to adult court.
Two teens, one age 14, were transferred several years ago in Knox County on charges they ambushed and killed a 16-year-old Austin-East High School student in February 2021. The teens ultimately were convicted in that case and are serving life sentences in prison.
Kleiser told Reed she didn't want her client's name made public.
Knox County Assistant District Attorney General Tammy Hicks said she didn't want the victim's name to be made public.
The victim's family, including her young brother, attended Wednesday morning's hearing and left without comment.
The defendant's grandfather sat with him at the defense table. Other family members of his also attended the hearing.
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PREVIOUS STORY: The body of a 13-year-old girl was found in the Powell community Tuesday afternoon near the Broadacres community.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said a 15-year-old boy was arrested and is facing a second-degree murder charge. The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a call about the body at around 4:45 p.m. — a few minutes from Powell High School.
Spangler said the body was found on a trail often used by local kids to go back and forth from a nearby gas station, and he said two people found the body. He said the scene was still being worked by the sheriff's office and there was a chance kids could encounter deputies on their way to school Wednesday morning.
Spangler said it's believed the suspect and the victim knew each other and there was no active threat to the Powell community.
The identities of anyone involved were not immediately available. He said the investigation was ongoing and investigators were "looking at other leads" to see if there were any additional details. He also said he was withholding the girl's name out of respect for her family.
"It's tough and we had some of the detectives that went with some of our chaplains to inform the family," he said during a press conference Tuesday evening. "To unexpectedly have someone show up at your doorstep and tell you something so tragic. It's tough on that family, but it's tough on those individuals as well."
He said the Major Crime Division and the Juvenile Division were working on the case.