DETROIT (Court TV) — A sentencing hearing in Michigan was briefly derailed on Thursday when bailiffs were called on to escort multiple people out of the courtroom.
Jarvis Butts looks down during his sentencing on March 12, 2026. (Court TV)
Screams of expletives and “Shut up!” could be heard during the first victim impact statement presented on behalf of Na’Ziyah Harris at Jarvis Butts’ sentencing.
Butts pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Harris’ death, as well as four counts of second-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of third-degree criminal sexual contact in separate cases.
Na’Ziyah was just 13 when prosecutors say Butts impregnated her and then killed her and the unborn child. “He knew she was pregnant, and we knew he was looking for ways to abort the baby,” prosecutors said when they initially charged Butts. Na’Ziyah was last seen getting off the school bus on Jan. 9, 2024; her body has never been found.
“It’s been two years and two months since I reported Na’Ziyah missing,” Na’Ziyah grandmother, Annette Harris, testified on Thursday. “I don’t feel safe in my home. … I have been threatened, my family has been threatened.”
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When Harris dissolved into tears on the stand, shouting was heard in the courtroom. Judge Nicholas Hathaway ordered two women to be removed from the courtroom; shouting could later be heard from the hallway.
Victims of Butts’ sexual abuse spoke at the hearing. “You were someone I called dad until you did what you did,” one said. “You did very hurtful things to me. I live with the trouble you caused me. I no longer look at you as a father figure, no longer as a hero, but as a monster.”
Butts was sentenced in accordance with a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors, which meant he will serve 35-60 years for Na’Ziyah’s murder and 10-15 years for each of the other charges.
“Justice will never be served,” Na’Ziyah’s aunt, Marketta Harris, said to the court. “You’re still able to live, you’re still able to get healthcare. You’re still able to breathe without any remorse.”
Butts’ sister, Tijuana Butts, also spoke at the sentencing. “I had no plans to come here today,” she said. “I’m here today for Na’Ziyah and my nieces and the other victims that my brother has harmed.” Addressing her brother, she said, “You made your bed, you got to lay in it. Stand in it. Do what you have to do.”
Judge Hathaway ordered Butts’ sentences to be served concurrently; he will be registered as a sex offender when he’s released.
