Suspect in murder of Detroit teen Na'Ziyah Harris appears in court
(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit man charged with the murder of missing teenager Na'Ziyah Harris was back in court on Friday as witness testimony began.
Harris, 13, disappeared in January. Her body has never been found, but evidence shows she was killed, and Jarvis Butts is the man who's been charged with her murder.
Harris was the niece of Butts' girlfriend. Phone records show both Harris and Butts had an inappropriate sexual relationship.
In November 2023, Butts allegedly found out that Harris was pregnant. She soon disappeared in January 2024 after allegedly meeting up with Butts.
On Friday, Cordell Wright, Butts' friend and business partner, was the first to take the stand to testify in the case.
Wright says he and Butts owned an auto shop in Detroit together. On Jan. 9, Wright claims Harris visited Butts at the shop, which is something she had done several times before with Butt's daughter.
Wright says he never witnessed any inappropriate behavior between the two when she would visit. It wasn't until a few weeks later, when Wright was questioned by police, that he found out Harris's name and that she was missing.
Harris' cousin, Roxy, is still processing what she heard in the courtroom.
"It's a lot to take in, but my family... this is the beginning process of it all, and we are looking to get ya know justice for Na'Ziyah in the end, but justice for every other victim he's done this to," she said.
Witness testimony will resume on Jan. 6, 2025, and an additional 21 witnesses are expected to take the stand.
