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Preliminary exam continues in case alleging homicide of 13-year-old Niziah Harris; family and school staff testify
Summary
A preliminary examination continued in 36th District Court in the State of Michigan’s case against Jarvis Butts, where family members and a substitute teacher described the missing 13-year-old’s last known routine and school interactions. The court admitted an attendance record and continued the hearing for further testimony and rulings.
Judge Aaliyah Sabri presiding at the 36th District Court continued the preliminary examination in State of Michigan v. Jarvis Butts, case no. 2459617, after family members and a JD Clark Preparatory Academy staff member testified about the last known whereabouts and routine of 13-year-old Niziah ("Tuzaya") Harris.
The hearing matters: why the court is taking more testimony and what witnesses told the court. The prosecution called relatives who said Niziah was dropped at school on Jan. 9, 2024, did not arrive home at her usual time and was later reported missing; a substitute teacher described in-class behavior the morning she was last seen. The court admitted an attendance sheet as People’s Exhibit 31 and signaled the preliminary exam would continue at a later date.
At the outset, Judge Aaliyah Sabri told the courtroom: “If there's anyone in the courtroom who may testify or as a witness on this case ... you must exit the courtroom now,” a direction underscoring live-stream and witness-exclusion rules.
Prosecutors identified the case as a continuation of a…
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