The trial of Jeffery B. Morris, who is accused of the gruesome murder of pro poker player Susie Zhao in 2020, has begun a week's worth of official pre-trial proceedings in advance of the actual murder trial, which will begin on Monday, October 2, in Michigan.
Morris has remained in custody without bail since August of 2020, when he was arrested near Pontiac, Michigan. Morris's arrest came several days after the discovery of Zhao's bound and burned body in the parking lot of a forest preserve just west of Pontiac, in Detroit's far northwestern suburbs. Forensic evidence, surveillance footage, and cel phone records all linked Morris to Zhao in the hours leading up to her killing.
Zhao, 33, had returned to Michigan to live with her parents after an extended poker downturn in Los Angeles and Las Vegas cash games and tourneys. The popular "Susie Q" also appeared as a guest commentator on the Bicycle Casino's "Live at the Bike!" streamed game. She had been in Michigan little more than a month before the discovery of her body on the morning of July 13, 2020, in the Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area parking lot. An autopsy showed she had been sexually assaulted before being bound, doused in gasoline, and burned.
Morris faces two felony charges for the alleged killing, felony murder and first-degree premeditated murder. The addition of the second charge after evidentiary hearing contributed to a paperwork error that led to one of several delays in the case, in which Morris has been represented by multiple court-appointed attorneys. Morris has a long criminal history, including sex-related crimes, in Michigan and Florida.
