DETROIT (WWJ) — We'll have to wait until January to learn whether the Detroit man accused of killing 13-year-old Na'Ziyah Harris will stand trial.
Jarvis Butts, 41, appeared in court Friday afternoon as witness testimony began at his preliminary exam, but no decision was made on whether he will be bound over for trial. Butts is charged with first-degree murder and child sexually abusive activity in connection with Harris's presumed death, though the child's body has never been found.
Harris, the niece of Butts' girlfriend, was last seen getting off a school bus last January in the area of Cornwall and Three Mile Drive, on Detroit's east side. He is also accused of sexually assaulting two other children, including his own daughter.
Cordelin Wright, a friend and coworker of Butts, was the first witness to take the stand Friday. He testified that he saw Harris get into Butts' truck on the day she vanished.
A Detroit Police investigation revealed that Harris was pregnant, with phone records revealing conversations between the two and searches online about abortions and drinking anti-freeze.
In the months since her disappearance, there have been searches for Harris in Clinton Township, Ann Arbor and the Rouge River on Detroit's west side, but the teen's body has not been found.
At a press conference announcing charges against Butts in September, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the evidence in the case "will clearly show that the defendant's alleged actions were beyond predatory. They were vulturous - he groomed and preyed upon Na'Ziyah with expertise."
Worthy told WWJ's Jon Hewett and other reporters at the time that the "overwhelming evidence" will show that Butts had long been corresponding with Harris, that he had sexually assaulted her over the course of two years, that the teen had become pregnant in September of 2023, and that Butts ultimately killed her.
Witness testimony is scheduled to resume on Jan. 6, 2025, and an additional 21 witnesses are expected to take the stand.
