Jarvis Butts in court via Zoom on Oct. 8, 2025 (WDIV)
WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – The man accused of sexually assaulting his relative, who is also facing charges for allegedly killing a Detroit teen who went missing in January 2024, appeared in court on Wednesday.
Jarvis Butts, who was charged with sexually assaulting and murdering 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris, appeared in court on Oct. 8.
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Butts was charged on Sept. 26, 2025, with the sexual assault of an 8-year-old relative. Authorities said he sexually assaulted the child between June 2021 and June 2022 at an auto repair shop in Detroit.
He appeared in court on Oct. 8 for a probable cause hearing. Butts appeared via Zoom.
In the hearing, Judge Shawn Jacque scheduled Butts’ preliminary hearing for Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m., where he will determine if there is enough evidence in the case to send it to trial.
Butt’s trial in the Na’Ziyah Harris case was initially scheduled to begin in October, but it was pushed to February 2026.
Samantha Sayles is an Oakland University alumna who’s been writing Michigan news since 2022. Before joining the ClickOnDetroit team, she wrote stories for WILX in Lansing and WEYI in Flint.