Quick Read
- Jarvis Butts, 43, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris.
- Butts also pleaded guilty to sexual assault of five other girls, aged 4 to 13.
- The plea agreement includes a sentence of 35 to 60 years in prison.
- Na’Ziyah Harris’s body has not been found since she disappeared on January 9, 2024.
- Butts agreed to provide truthful information about the location of Harris’s body as part of the deal.
DETROIT (Azat TV) – Jarvis Butts, a 43-year-old Detroit man, pleaded guilty on Thursday to the 2024 murder of 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris, whose body has never been found, and to the sexual assault of five other young girls. The plea agreement, reached in Wayne Circuit Court, stipulates a sentence of 35 to 60 years in prison, capping a long and agonizing ordeal for Harris’s family and the community.
Butts pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with Na’Ziyah Harris’s death, along with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct related to the assaults of girls aged 4, 7, 8, 8 or 9, and 13. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed original charges of first-degree murder, child sexually abusive commercial activity, and two counts of sexual assault specifically pertaining to Na’Ziyah. Crucially, as part of the agreement, Butts has committed to providing a truthful statement regarding the location of Na’Ziyah Harris’s body, which has remained undiscovered since she was last seen on January 9, 2024.
Jarvis Butts’ Guilty Plea and Its Terms
The guilty plea by Jarvis Butts marks a significant development in a case that has gripped Detroit. According to court records, Butts entered pleas to settle six separate cases during a pretrial conference. The agreed-upon sentence of 35 to 60 years will be served concurrently across these cases. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the plea submission during a pre-trial hearing, setting the stage for sentencing scheduled for March 12, 2026.
Butts was dating Na’Ziyah Harris’s aunt at the time he began sexually assaulting her niece. Shannon Harris, Na’Ziyah’s aunt, testified that she discovered inappropriate Instagram messages between Na’Ziyah and Butts after her niece went missing. Prosecutors had contended that Butts allegedly got Na’Ziyah pregnant after sexually assaulting her and subsequently killed her. Evidence presented during a preliminary examination in January 2025 indicated Butts conducted multiple Google searches in early December 2023 for information on abortion pills, herbal teas that might induce abortion, and the consumption of red antifreeze, suggesting a desperate attempt to terminate a pregnancy before her death.
The Disappearance and Murder of Na’Ziyah Harris
Na’Ziyah Harris, a seventh-grader at J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy, was last seen disembarking her school bus on Detroit’s east side on January 9, 2024. Testimony from Detroit Police Sgt. Shannon Jones revealed that Butts and Na’Ziyah had been exchanging sexually abusive texts as early as 2022, with Butts reportedly telling Na’Ziyah to ‘stop messing with people and just be mine.’ Na’Ziyah referred to him as ‘babe’ and expressed her trust in him.
Witnesses pieced together Na’Ziyah’s last known hours. Butts’ auto shop partner, Cordell Wright, testified that he and Butts picked up Na’Ziyah after school that day. Detroit Police Department Sgt. Melanie O’Rourke’s testimony, based on phone tracking data, placed Butts’ phone at his auto shop on Conner Street around 4 p.m. His sister, Tijuana Butts, recalled seeing a girl resembling Na’Ziyah exiting her brother’s truck at the shop later that evening. Butts’ phone was later tracked to Ypsilanti, where Talasha Moore stated Butts introduced Na’Ziyah as his niece while working on a car. This was the last time anyone other than Jarvis Butts is believed to have seen Na’Ziyah Harris alive, according to Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Makepeace.
The search for Na’Ziyah’s body led to the discovery of several clothing items and her school identification near 7 Mile and Berg Road. U.S. Border Patrol agent Wyatt Barnes located a pink ‘onesie’ and a small Nike shoe in the brush. Michigan State Police crime lab technician Erica Anderson confirmed that both Na’Ziyah’s and Butts’ DNA were found on a black hoodie discovered at the scene, with ‘moderate support’ for Butts’ DNA being on a stain on the garment. Blood was also found on both the black hoodie and the pink jumpsuit.
Systemic Failures and Prior Convictions
The tragic case of Na’Ziyah Harris has brought to light serious concerns about systemic failures. Na’Ziyah’s great-aunt, Jernell Smith-Holland, stated in May 2024 that ‘so many systems failed Na’Ziyah,’ highlighting that relatives had repeatedly contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) about a man they suspected of inappropriate behavior with children, including Na’Ziyah, but no action was taken. State officials cited confidentiality in declining to disclose details of any investigation.
This was not Butts’ first encounter with the law for child sexual assault. Before Na’Ziyah’s murder, he had served seven to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to having sex with a child in 2004. He was reportedly just released from prison before the events leading to Na’Ziyah’s death. Furthermore, Butts faced charges in other cases, including the alleged sexual assault of a woman when she was 8 and 10 years old, and a 12-year-old girl in 2013. The recurrence of such offenses underscores the family’s frustration with the perceived lack of intervention.
Sentencing Looms for Butts
With Jarvis Butts’ guilty plea, the legal proceedings move towards his sentencing on March 12, 2026, in Wayne Circuit Court. During the preliminary examination in January 2025, Detroit’s 36th District Court Judge Aliyah Sabree sternly remarked on Butts’ actions, calling him a ‘monster.’ Judge Sabree expressed her belief that Butts intended to perform a ‘do-it-yourself abortion’ on Na’Ziyah, which went wrong, leading him to intentionally kill her and attempt to cover up the crime. She emphasized, ‘Na’Ziyah deserved so much more. … While I mention other people who failed her, Jarvis Butts, you are the monster in this whole picture.’
The resolution of this case through a plea agreement, while offering a degree of judicial closure, leaves the Harris family with the profound pain of their loved one’s body remaining unfound. The stipulation for Butts to provide information about Na’Ziyah’s remains offers a critical, albeit delayed, chance for the family to achieve a fuller sense of peace and for Na’Ziyah to receive a proper burial, underscoring the enduring impact of such a devastating loss.