PHOENIX – We are learning new details from a Pinal County legal case that involved a man who is now facing dozens of felony charges in connection with the murder of Zariah Dodd.

The backstory:

Dodd, who was a pregnant 16-year-old, went missing on the night of July 4, after she left a group home in Surprise. She was reported missing as a runaway to police four hours later, and was subsequently found dead with a gunshot wound at Marivue Park in Phoenix at around 6 a.m. on July 5.

Phoenix Police say 36-year-old Jurrell Davis and 18-year-old Jechri James-Gillett conspired in Zariah Dodd’s murder.

“The investigation established that Davis was the father Zariah’s unborn child,” said Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer.

What We’re Learning:

In Maricopa County, Davis is not only being prosecuted in connection with Dodd’s murder. He is also facing nearly 30 charges related to 17-year-old Aniya Morris, including sexual exploitation ofd a minor and violating a protection order.

We are also learning that Davis has been on “unsupervised probation” since January 2025. He allegedly violated an important term of his plea deal: he was not supposed to have any contact with Aniya.

Aniya’s mother, Adrianne Morris, said she reported Davis to authorities after he requested explicit images of her daughter. Morris filed an Order of Protection against Davis during the summer of 2024.

Aniya was rescued by police on July 15, after she was found with Davis in north Phoenix. Officers also found a gun in the car. Davis is a felon, and was not supposed to have a gun.

Dig deeper:

Court records on the arrest in connection with Aniya’s case reveal that Aniya feared Davis would find her again once he got out of jail, and would not let her go back to her family. Davis was released days later, and charged with violating the order of protection that Morris filed against him.

By January 2025, Davis signed a plea deal that involved three years of “unsupervised probation”, around $500 in fees, and no contact with Aniya. The maximum probation length for interfering with judicial proceedings in Arizona is three years.

According to Pinal County’s website, unsupervised probation is one of three types of probation in the county.

“If you are placed on unsupervised probation, you do not need to report to a probation officer. You must obey all laws while you are on probation. The Court may order you to do certain things while you are on unsupervised probation. This may include counseling, M.A.D.D. victim impact panels, community service, getting a G.E.D., paying fines, etc. If you commit a new crime or fail to do what the Court ordered you to do, you are violating your probation. You can be sent to jail or prison for violating probation,” read a description on Pinal County’s website.

“What was your reaction?” we asked Morris.

“I was upset,” Morris replied.

Morris said the Pinal County Attorney’s Office did not discuss terms of the plea agreement with her.

“This is why people don’t ask for help. This is why people don’t get the Order of Protection,” Morris said.

Morris said she told PCAO back in April, which led to prosecutors filing for an order to show Davis violated probation. He appeared in court in June.

“[Davis] not only showed up in person. Aniya’s still missing, but he brought [Jechri James-Gillett] with him,” Morris said.

While Phoenix Police combed through the crime scene on July 5, court documents say Davis was with Aniya

“We now know that he allegedly brought her to the scene of the murder where [Dodd] was, and she saw that. How is that traumatizing for her?” we asked Morris.

“It definitely put fear in her,” Morris replied.

When Davis was arrested on July 15, Aniya was found with him. At the time, Davis’ probation revocation hearing in Pinal County was scheduled to happen two days later.

“There’s so much more that could have been done to keep him off the streets,” said Morris.

The other side:

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement on the matter. It reads:

Jurrell Davis was arrested on September 26, 2024, in Apache Junction by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, for Interfering with Judicial Proceedings when he violated a civil order of protection. The defendant pled guilty straight to the charge, meaning that there was no plea, he pleaded to Count A: Interfering with Judicial Proceedings, a class one misdemeanor and was placed on 36 months of unsupervised probation which is the maximum amount of time allowable by Arizona State Law for this offense. Davis was not to have any contact with the victim. The prosecutor in this case met with the victim’s mother on December 5, 2024, to discuss the process, sentencing options, and probation terms. The sentencing occurred in Apache Junction Court on January 9, 2025.

On May 27, 2025, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office filed an Order to Show Cause to bring the defendant back to Court after the victim’s mother provided evidence that defendant was violating the terms of his probation. Subsequently, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office filed a Petition to Revoke the defendant’s probation grant on July 1, 2025, and requested the July 17, 2025, court date be set for a probation revocation hearing. When the defendant failed to appear for Court on July 17, 2025, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office requested a bench warrant be issued. This matter is still pending with my office.

Criminal cases can be difficult when different crimes occur in multiple jurisdictions. For the crime that occurred in Pinal County, my office filed the highest level of charges allowable under Arizona law and we sought the maximum allowable sentence.

“When I recently heard about the matter that occurred in Phoenix my heart went out to the victim and her family and it is my hope that justice is served,” Brad Miller.

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