Jarvis Butts sentenced to up to 60 years for murder of Na’Ziyah Harris and multiple sexual assaults

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WAYNE COUNTY, MI (Content Warning) — Jarvis Butts has been sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison for the murder of 13‑year‑old Na’Ziyah Harris, along with concurrent sentences for multiple sexual assault cases involving minors.

Butts, 43, pleaded guilty in February to second‑degree murder and several counts of criminal sexual conduct before his scheduled trial.

Details of the Jarvis Butts Sentencing

Judge Nicholas Hathaway issued the sentence Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Butts received:

• 35–60 years for second‑degree murder
• Five sentences of 10–15 years for criminal sexual conduct involving minors
• All sentences to run concurrently

Prosecutors said Butts will not be eligible for parole until he serves 35 years.

Background of the Case

Harris disappeared in January 2024 after meeting Butts, who had allegedly groomed her for months, reported by FOX 2 Detroit.

Text messages showed she met him the day she vanished.

Prosecutors said Harris was pregnant at the time, and Butts was believed to be the father.

Her body has never been found.

As part of his plea, Butts was required to provide a statement about the location of her remains, according to CBS News Detroit.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy said authorities are satisfied with the information he provided, though details were not released publicly.

Additional Sexual Assault Cases

Butts also pleaded guilty in five other cases involving girls between 4 and 17 years old.

Those cases included:

• Second‑degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 17‑year‑old
• Third‑degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 13‑ to 15‑year‑old
• Multiple second‑degree criminal sexual conduct charges involving children under 13

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed he pleaded guilty in six total cases, according to the official release.

Emotional Jarvis Butts Sentencing Hearing

The hearing included seven victim impact statements, with several family members becoming emotional as they addressed the court, reported by CBS News Detroit.

Court officers escorted multiple people out after outbursts from the gallery.

Relatives of Harris described the lasting trauma, financial strain, and grief caused by her death.

Prosecutor’s Statement

Prosecutor Worthy said the plea agreement aimed to give Harris’s family “some semblance of closure,” especially through the disclosure of information about her body’s location, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Butts will serve his sentence in the Michigan Department of Corrections.

He cannot seek parole until at least 2061, based on the minimum term.

Update: Jarvis Butts was found dead in prison two weeks after sentencing