Just over a year ago, on Jan. 9, 2024, 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris was last seen getting off her school bus at the corner of Cornwall and Three Mile Drive in Detroit. Neither she nor her body were ever found. On Thursday, 42-year-old Jarvis Butts, who is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Na’Ziyah, was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and child sexually abusive activity in the teen’s death.
Source: seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Getty
“You’re the monster in this whole picture,” Judge Aliyah Sabree told Butts in court Thursday, according to CBS News. “She (Na’Ziyah) did deserve love from her parents and everyone who was in her life. She was ignored. She was neglected, and you took complete advantage of that. She wanted someone to love her, and she will never know what that feels like. I pray for the healing of all the victims and the young girls, and possibly boys, who have come into contact with you.”
“As a community, we should look at this case as a prime example of how much work we have to do when it comes to protecting our children and especially Black girls,” she added.
Despite the fact that Na’Ziyah’s body was never recovered, prosecutors argued Thursday that cell tower tracking data and a hearing in November — during which one of Butt’s business partners gave testimony implicating him, and another alleged witness claiming to have seen Butts and Na’Ziyah together the evening she disappeared — constituted enough evidence to charge Butts with her death. In addition to all that evidence, several of Na’Ziyah’s belongings had been found in areas where investigators tracked Butts in the days following the child’s disappearance. Still, defense lawyers argued that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Butts caused or intended to cause Na’Ziyah’s death.
The judge disagreed, as did Na’Ziyah’s family.
From CBS:
“She (Sabree) held him accountable. She pointed out very significant things, even down to his body language during the whole thing. Me and my family just really appreciate her for that,” said Na’Ziyah’s cousin, Roxy.
More than 20 witnesses, including a combination of experts, family members, and law enforcement officials, spoke in court over the past four days.
Eight witnesses, including Na’Ziyah’s grandmother and aunt, testified Monday. Na’Ziyah’s aunt, Shannon Harris, testified that she did not suspect anything beyond a normal uncle-niece bond between Butts and Na’Ziyah.
Unsurprisingly, Na’Ziyah isn’t the only young girl Butts is accused of attacking and abusing. He is also currently charged with the sexual abuse of two other girls in separate cases involving an eight-year-old family member and a girlfriend’s four-year-old daughter, who contracted chlamydia as a result of the assault. He also has a sexual assault conviction on his record from 2005.
And these are not Butts’ only legal troubles.
According to to Click on Detroit, on the day Na’Ziyah went missing, Butts was supposed to turn himself into the authorities on a previous gun-related charge, but, for reasons that are unclear, that date was moved from Jan. 9 to February of last year.
So, instead of turning himself in, Butts allegedly met up with Na’Ziyah and checked them both into a motel. Text messages found on Butts’ phone reportedly revealed Na’Ziyah was pregnant, and Butts’ online history revealed he searched for information about abortions, abortion pills, and the effects of drinking red anti-freeze.
Prosecutors have reportedly called Butts a “serial child rapist,” and law enforcement officials believe he had been abusing Na’Ziyah since 2022.
There are certain people in this world that are evil and depraved beyond comprehension. They deserve to be in jail for the rest of their natural lives, and Black girls like Na’Ziyah across the nation deserve to be better protected.
