A Tennessee cheerleader, 13, was allegedly stabbed to death by a 15-year-old with a pocket knife and left alongside a dirt road. Now, prosecutors hope to try him as an adult in court.

Savannah Copeland met with the 15-year-old around midnight Oct. 22, when he allegedly attacked her and fled, according to a petition released by Knox County court Oct. 24. It is unclear how the two teens might have known each other. 

Michael Copeland, the victim’s father, told 8WVLT his daughter had been missing in Powell for several hours before he tracked her using her cellphone information and found her body.

FAMILY OF WOMAN WHO WENT MISSING ON CROSS-COUNTRY VACATION SAYS CRYPTIC TEXTS SENT FROM PHONE UNLIKE HER

The 15-year-old was arrested soon after the stabbing and charged with second-degree murder, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said. 

A judge allowed the release of the teen’s name despite his age two days later and scheduled a Jan. 14 hearing on whether the juvenile suspect should be tried as an adult, 6 News reported. Fox News Digital is not naming the suspect until it is determined if he will be charged as an adult.  

MICHIGAN GIRL, 7, STABBED TO DEATH; 13-YEAR-OLD SISTER IN CUSTODY: POLICE

Savannah Copeland was a cheerleader and also practiced karate and gymnastics, her family wrote in her obituary. (Powell MAC Cheerleading/Facebook)

Fox News Digital could not reach the suspect’s attorney for comment at press time.

Copeland was not named in the department’s statement, but she was identified in a GoFundMe set up by her family, an online obituary, her cheerleading team and several news outlets that spoke with her family.

TENNESSEE POLICE SEARCHING FOR BRAZEN BURGLAR WHO RAPPELLED INTO BOWLING ALLEY AND STOLE CASH

Police arrested a 15-year-old in Savannah Copeland’s death and charged him with second-degree murder (Powell MAC Cheerleading/Facebook)

“I think it was a lack of compassion and a lack of empathy that drove the hand that took my daughter’s life,” the victim’s father told 8 WVLT. 

Copeland, a cheerleader with Powell Mac Cheerleading, was a talented student who also excelled in karate and gymnastics, her family wrote in her obituary. Her father told 8WVLT the teen had “spunkiness, eagerness and … a go-getter attitude.”

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, cited a member of an airline flight crew on Friday, after they were found to be in possession of a loaded handgun at one of the airport’s checkpoints.

The TSA said in a news release that the female flight crew member, who has not been named, was carrying a 9 mm pistol that was loaded with nine bullets, including one in the chamber.

Once TSA officers came across the firearm, they immediately notified police from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (WMAA), who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the firearm and issued a citation to the woman.

TSA also told the unnamed airline about the matter.

MORE THAN 3.4K GUNS INTERCEPTED AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS IN 2024, TSA SAYS

The woman now faces a federal civil penalty for taking a loaded firearm to a TSA checkpoint, which can carry a maximum fine of $15,000.

“This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers as it addressed a possible insider threat situation,” John Busch, the TSA federal security director for the airport said. 

“Individuals who work on the secure side of airports and on board aircraft, whether they are members of the flight crew, work at retail shops, work for airlines, or are contractors of a company that does business at the airport, are not allowed to bring prohibited items onto the secure side of the airport or onto a flight, especially firearms. We are always on alert for any employees who may have possible bad intentions which could possibly represent a threat to aviation security.”

AIR TRAVELER SPARKS DEBATE AFTER REVEALING HE ARRIVES AT AIRPORT 6 HOURS BEFORE FLIGHT; TSA WEIGHS IN

Travelers make their way through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

While it is lawful to travel with a firearm, the TSA provides details on its website on how to properly travel with a firearm. In particular, the TSA says the firearm must be unloaded, packed inside a locked hard-sided case and declared at the airline counter so it can be placed in the belly of the aircraft along with checked baggage.

So far this year, as of Nov. 17, 2024, TSA officers have intercepted 36 firearms at Reagan National Airport checkpoints.

Last year, officers intercepted 39 firearms at the airport’s TSA checkpoints, and the year before there were 29 firearms intercepted.

The TSA said bringing a firearm to an airport carries a federal civil penalty because TSA has the right to issue civil penalties to travelers with guns and gun parts at a checkpoint. 

The civil penalties for such actions can reach into the thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstances.

Cajun food is fairly mainstream — and gumbo, jambalaya and bread pudding can be found on restaurant menus nationwide. 

But one dish – gravy – has remained something of a hidden gem of Louisiana. And the “Gravy Boys,” eight best friends from college, are dedicated to perfecting the dish and preserving their cultural heritage. 

The story of the Gravy Boys begins, technically, in the 1700s when Cajuns first arrived in Louisiana.

CREAMY CAJUN SHRIMP SCAMPI OVER PASTA IS A FLAVOR-PACKED, CHEESY DREAM: TRY THE EASY RECIPE

“They were kicked out of France. They were kicked out of Nova Scotia. They ended up here,” Sullivan Zant, one of the Gravy Boys, told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)

Zant is executive chef at Vestal, a restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana. 

The Cajuns, Zant said, “were a people of much resource but definitely not a lot of money. Gravy, along with jambalaya and a lot of other dishes that are popular throughout Cajun cuisine, are, for lack of a better term, ‘poor people food.’” 

Gravy, Zant said, is “a way to take a little bit of meat and a little bit of vegetables, fortify them and truly give them not only the nutrients, but also [make them] filling.” 

He added, “So, it essentially consists of some type of protein, typically the Cajun holy trinity, which is going to be onions, bell pepper and celery and, almost always, but not always, it’s going to be served over rice.”

“From the ashes of ‘Taco Tuesday’ arose ‘Gravy Thursday.’”

The Gravy Boys met in college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The group began a tradition of throwing gravy parties every Thursday.

“From the ashes of ‘Taco Tuesday’ arose ‘Gravy Thursday,’” Zant said with a laugh.

These parties attracted a crowd, and the group used them as an opportunity to finetune their cooking skills. They now have custom denim jackets, and some of the Gravy Boys compete together in Cajun cooking competitions. 

In addition to Zant, the Gravy Boys are Trey Delcambre, Tanner Dimmick, Samuel Frazier, Jacab Gibson, Jordon Konow, Joshua Mata and Derrick Savoie. Dimmick recently got married, and the other Gravy Boys served as his groomsmen.

The Gravy Boys have stayed close in the years since college and recently served as groomsmen at member Tanner Dimmick’s wedding. From left to right, Derrick Savoie, Jacab Gibson, Joshua Mata, Dimmick, Trey Delcambre, Sullivan Zant and Jordon Konow. Not pictured: Samuel Frazier. (Joseph Vidrine )

Most of the Gravy Boys grew up eating Cajun food, Mata, the “self-proclaimed CEO of Gravy Thursday,” told Fox News Digital. 

“Rice and gravy has always been part of my diet, at least,” he said. 

Delcambre has memories of watching his grandmother make gravy and other Cajun delicacies. 

“This is just stuff we grew up seeing and watching and observing our family members do,” he told Fox News Digital.

TABASCO PUT SPICE IN AMERICAN LIFE: HERE’S THE SURPRISING ORIGIN OF LOUISIANA HEAT

For the Gravy Boys, gravy is more than just a way to feed delicious food to many people relatively cheaply. It’s a way to preserve their culture, their friendships and the community they’ve built.

“One of our good friends, who is also a very, very successful and fantastic musician from around here, has this thing where he likes to stop at shows and yell in the middle of it, ‘If you’re not living your culture, you’re killing it,’” Zant said. 

“And that’s something that really rang true to me at the moment, I think for all of us as well. That’s really all we do.”

“If you’re not living your culture, you’re killing it.”

Cajun culture “is unique and obviously very special to us,” Zant said, but he insists he’s “not gatekeeping it.” 

He said, “We just want you to come and have a good time to meet us and hang out. That’s how you get to break down barriers and really get to know somebody — whenever you actually sit down at a table and break bread with them.”

Zant said they “find more commonalities that way than almost anything. And I think that that’s really important to what we do and why we do it.”

The Gravy Boys shared a basic gravy recipe with Fox News Digital for those looking to start a tradition of their own. 

Gravy began as an easy and delicious way to create a filling dish for a relatively low cost, said Zant, one of the Gravy Boys. (Joshua Mata)

Part of the appeal of gravy is that there is no official recipe – the choice of meat, seasonings, vegetables and cooking time is different for each chef and is largely based on one’s personal taste or what is available at the time of cooking. 

This recipe, the Gravy Boys said, is more of a guideline and is meant to be adjusted. 

Basic Gravy Recipe from the Gravy Boys

Ingredients

Any cheap cuts of meat (7-bone steak, pork chops, “whatever is on sale”)

Cajun spice mix (salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, amounts to taste) 

Vegetable oil

Beer, wine or water (for deglazing)

1 onion 

1 bell pepper 

1 bunch celery 

Stock (chicken, beef “or even just water, if that’s all you have”) 

Long grain rice (for serving) 

Gravy is made best with cheap cuts of meat, the Gravy Boys said – whatever is available.  (Joshua Mata)

Directions

1. Pat dry meat and season with Cajun spice mix. Dice onion, bell pepper and celery or whatever vegetables you feel like. 

2. Heat pot (preferably a cast-iron dutch oven) over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Once oil is hot, add seasoned meat and sear for about four to five minutes on each side, “so you get some nice fond going on in there.” 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

3. Remove meat after browning and deglaze pot with “beer, wine or water – whatever is on hand,” and scrape up fond.

4. Add veggies to the pot, cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add additional seasoning if desired. 

5. Add stock (or water), enough to cover all meat. Bring to a boil, then add meat back to the pot and reduce to a simmer. Put the lid on the pot. 

6. Simmer for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Afterward, remove lid to let the gravy reduce. 

7. Once meat is tender, serve over long grain rice.