Text messages between Jarvis Butts and Na’Ziyah Harris were read in court Thursday.
Butts faces multiple felonies in the death of Harris, a J. E. Clark Preparatory Academy student who went missing in January. While her body has not been recovered, police said there is an “overwhelming” amount of evidence that Butts murdered Harris.
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A preliminary examination hearing to decide if Butts will stand trial for the murder of Harris began on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The days-long hearing continued into Thursday, with dozens of witnesses testifying.
Background
Prosecutors said Butts was supposed to turn himself in to authorities on a gun charge on Jan. 9, 2024, the day Harris went missing, but that date was pushed back to February. Harris allegedly met up with Butts that day, and the two reportedly went to Ypsilanti before returning back to Detroit, where Butts checked into a motel.
Text records allege that Butts knew Harris was pregnant and that he began searching online about abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red anti-freeze.
Authorities believe Butts had been sexually abusing Harris since 2022 before killing her in January 2024. Prosecutors said he had a history of targeting and befriending women to get close to and sexually abuse their daughters.
It’s not the only sexual abuse case Butts is involved with. He also has been charged for reportedly sexually abusing two other young girls, as well as a conviction for sexual assault in 2005. Prosecutors called Butts a “serial child rapist,” who sexually assaulted an 8-year-old family member and a girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, who reportedly caught chlamydia from the assault.
He was charged on Sept. 27, 2024, as a habitual fourth-time offender.
Butts and Harris had reportedly known each other because he was the father of her cousins. The abuse of Harris allegedly began in 2022 with sexually explicit texts and photos being sent to the child.
He was tracked to the Rouge River in Detroit the day after her disappearance, where police would later recover the clothes Harris was last seen wearing. Authorities said there was damage to the clothing that could indicate a struggle.
Butts has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder, child sexually abusive material, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13.
Court reveals explicit text messages Butts sent Harris
Sergeant Shannon Jones, the officer in charge of the investigation of Harris’ disappearance, had a copy of all the text messages exchanged between Butts and Harris dating back from 2022. She read the messages prosecutors highlighted for her to read aloud in the preliminary hearing on Jan. 9, 2025.
The text messages revealed Butts was allegedly sending sexually explicit messages and asked her for nude photos. The messages suggested there were more conversations like these previously.
The text messages later in 2023 reveal Harris claimed she was pregnant and talked about having trouble in school due to her “baby.”
The following text messages were translated and spelled the way Jones specified or said when testifying in court on Thursday:
Sept. 27, 2022
Harris: Come on
Harris: You ok?
Harris: Where are we doing it at your choice
Butts: You tell me
Harris: Basement
Harris: You sure?
Harris: Or job
Butts: Can you suck my d--- please
Butts: And make sure you erase the messages
Harris: K that is what I planned to do
June 5, 2022
Butts: I’m at your house
Harris: Damn we were just there
Harris: You bet not be in my room
Harris: I need another phone
Harris: I miss you
Butts: I stole your panties
June 24, 2023
Butts: Send me some pictures please
Harris: Don’t you still got the other pics
Butts: No
Harris: I will send some
June 27, 2023
Butts: Are you naked yet
Harris: No I don’t wanna get naked
Harris: Are you mad I didn’t get naked
Butts: I used to you telling me no
Harris: Come on bae I’m sorry just not in the mood right now I’m sorry
Sept. 26, 2023
Harris: Bae you up???
Harris: ???
Harris: Yeah
Harris: My period haven’t came at all
Harris: Hello you there???
Butts: What you mean
Harris: It have not came
Butts: Since when
Harris: Since I was in the hospital
Butts: That was last month
Harris: I’m scared idk what to do I have to go to the doctors tm
Butts: You said you took a pregnancy test and it was negative
Harris: It did
Butts: So go get another one
Harris: I can’t I have no money
Harris: You go get one
Harris: You ain’t scared to get a plan b, get a pregnancy test and bring it later today just act like have you have to use the bathroom
Harris: Pls
Harris: Will you do it???
Harris: Hello ?????
Butts: Ok
Nov. 27, 2023
Harris: I just wanna talk I really don’t wanna lose you
Harris: Can we talk later yes or no
Harris: I don’t what your problem but I need you to bring me what I need tonight it’s hard doing all this gym s--- with this baby and if I don’t do em I’m gonna get a F
Jan. 9 , 2024
This is the final text exchange between Butts and Harris before she went missing.
Harris: Don’t forget be there before 3 I will let you know when I’m leaving the school if you not there I will wait
Harris: Send OK if you see the message so I can delete your number
Butts: OK
