PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The man accused of murdering pregnant 16-year-old Zariah Dodd in Phoenix is facing new charges likely related to another case with an underage girl in the West Valley.
Jurrell Davis, 36, was back in court on a grand jury warrant on Friday night. He now faces an additional 20 felony charges, including sexual exploitation of a minor, luring a minor for sex exploitation, child enticement using electronic devices and sexual conduct with a minor. Davis is also facing eight misdemeanor counts for disobeying a court order. His bond was set at $150,000 cash-only.
These charges are likely related to a separate criminal case where Davis was allegedly involved with another underage girl in Avondale.
Detectives in Avondale told Arizona’s Family that Davis had asked for sexually explicit photos from a 17-year-old girl, who had an order of protection against him filed by her mother in August 2024. Her mother found out and told the police.
In July, detectives were conducting surveillance on Davis after the 17-year-old had run away from Glendale in May. He and the girl were spotted in his car at a Phoenix-area apartment, according to police. Officers said Davis had a gun in his car, which wasn’t allowed since he had a felony conviction from 2008 regarding child abuse. Police arrested him on July 15, and he’s been in jail since.
Davis and 18-year-old Jechri James-Gillett are already facing first-degree murder charges in the death of Dodd and her unborn child. She was found dead while about 22 weeks pregnant at Marivue Park near 57th Avenue and Osborn Road on the morning of July 5. Prosecutors say she told others at her Surprise group home on July 4 that she was planning to meet up with Davis, the father of her unborn child.
Dodd was also reportedly to complete a forensic interview for a sexual conduct case. It’s unclear if that was the Avondale case.
Police say James-Gillett made a “full confession to the murder of Zariah.” He claimed that Davis had ordered him to shoot her or Davis would kill them both, court paperwork states. James-Gillett reportedly said he “wished he could take it back.”
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