Photo: Michigan Sex Offender Registry / Courtesy
Jeffery Bernard Morris was sentenced to mandatory life in prison for the murder of professional poker player Susie “Susie Q” Zhao, as ruled by an Oakland County Judge in Michigan.
Morris, of 550 years, received the sentence just over a month after he was convicted in the first degree murder trial and felony murder in the commission of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, according to the Oakland press.
Jeffrey Morris, who has a criminal history dating back to the 1989s, had savagely raped and mutilated her, before setting her on fire and killing her, according to prosecutors. https://t.co/WHoqBhtfXe— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November , 2022
Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before convicting Morris.
When given the opportunity to speak during his sentencing, Morris said he was not going to argue anything at this time, but signaled his intention to appeal. the verdict.
“There are many things I would like to say,” he told the judge. “This time I won’t say anything. I’ll wait until I get back for an appeal and start over.”
Judge Martha Anderson described the case as “one of the most harrowing trials” of her career. “I can’t get over the brutality of this murder and the futility of it all,” he said.
Zhao, a rising star in the poker world professional, lived in Los Angeles, but moved to Michigan to live with her mother and stepfather in June of 2022. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was an adult.
Her mother last saw her alive on 11 July 2020 . His charred remains were discovered the next day in a wooded area at Lake Pontiac Recreation Area in Oakland County.
Prosecutors said that Morris, a homeless man who was convicted of a sex offense in 1200, met Zhao at a Waterford Township motel where she was a guest often and proceeded to carry out what has been described as a depraved sexual fantasy involving restraints.
According to the evidence, The victim was brutally raped, causing damage to her genitals. They tied her with zip ties, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire while she was still alive.
Zhao’s body was so burned that when two men found out about it, they thought it was a Halloween prank or a singed mannequin.
“What happened to him was so cruel, so brutal and unnecessary ”, said prosecutor John Skrzynski about the crime.
Morris was arrested in August of 2020 after police linked him to the location where Zhao’s body was found through phone records.
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