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Monday, March 8th:
*Scheduled for Exam Hearing (@ 8:35am CT) – MI – Susie Zhao (33) (last seen by her mother on July, 12, 2020 @ 5:30pm leaving home, found July 13, 2020 near Pontiac Lake State Recreation park in White Lake Township @ 8:30am, Detroit; due to severe burns (90%) to her face & body, authorities needed a week to identify Zhao) - *Jeffery Bernard Morris (60) was arrested (7/31/20) after being pulled over on a warrant in Ypsilanti. Charged (8/4/20) & arraigned (9/24/20) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. Denied bond.
Zhao was bound with zip ties, tortured, sexually assaulted & set on fire after meeting a convicted sex offender at a motel the night before her badly burned body was found. Morris is a Tier 3 sex offender.
Trial was set to begin on 3/22/21 with jury selection has been cancelled with no further dates.
Court info from 8/4/20 thru 10/15/20 reference post #95 here:
MI - Susie Zhao, 33, professional poker player, found fatally burned, Detroit, 13 Jul 2020 *arrest*
10/15/20 Update: Next pretrial hearing on 2/11/21 @ 10:30am & trial will begin on 3/22/21 @ 9am with jury selection. 2/11/21 Update: Hearing was moved to 2/10/21 Update: Final Disposition. Defense motion (oral) to remand to District Court-granted. Motion to amend general info-denied. Defendant waived physical presence. Zoom video appearance. Remanded 52/2 District court (#20-002050).
10/26/21: Stipulation/Order filed DNA samples; 1/2/21: Change of plaintiff attorney/prosecutor; 2/1/21: Motion Praecipe filed for 2/10/21. Motion filed AMD gif; 2/5/21: Response filed to Motion AMD gif/
. 2/10/21 Remanded 52/2 District Court #20-002050; final disposition. Defense motion (oral) to remand to District Court-granted. Motion to amend general info-denied; defendant waived physical presence for Zoom video appearance. 2/11/21: Affidavit/proof of service filed; Order of remand file 52/2. Next Scheduled for Exam hearing in the 52nd District Court on 2/23/21 @ 2pm.
2/14/21 Update: Morris had his case remanded to its originating court as prosecutors continue fleshing out an additional charge of felony murder against him. However, Circuit Court Judge Martha Anderson ordered the case returned to the 52-2 District Court where charges were first filed so the additional charge or charges can be appended to the case. A felony murder charge can be added when the murder occurs during the commission of another felony; in this case, investigators had ready evidence of both kidnapping & sexual assault, and a charge or charges of that nature may also be considered. Morris was denied bond at his initial court appearance & remains held in an Oakland County jail. The remanding of his case means that his initial trial date has been cancelled. No new date for his trial on the expanded charges will be set until those charges are finalized by prosecutors.
2/17/21 Update: Miscellaneous Action: Hearing on 2/23/21 was cancelled. Next Scheduled for exam hearing on 3/8/21.
*Scheduled for Exam Hearing (@ 8:35am CT) – MI – Susie Zhao (33) (last seen by her mother on July, 12, 2020 @ 5:30pm leaving home, found July 13, 2020 near Pontiac Lake State Recreation park in White Lake Township @ 8:30am, Detroit; due to severe burns (90%) to her face & body, authorities needed a week to identify Zhao) - *Jeffery Bernard Morris (60) was arrested (7/31/20) after being pulled over on a warrant in Ypsilanti. Charged (8/4/20) & arraigned (9/24/20) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. Denied bond.
Zhao was bound with zip ties, tortured, sexually assaulted & set on fire after meeting a convicted sex offender at a motel the night before her badly burned body was found. Morris is a Tier 3 sex offender.
Trial was set to begin on 3/22/21 with jury selection has been cancelled with no further dates.
Court info from 8/4/20 thru 10/15/20 reference post #95 here:
MI - Susie Zhao, 33, professional poker player, found fatally burned, Detroit, 13 Jul 2020 *arrest*
10/15/20 Update: Next pretrial hearing on 2/11/21 @ 10:30am & trial will begin on 3/22/21 @ 9am with jury selection. 2/11/21 Update: Hearing was moved to 2/10/21 Update: Final Disposition. Defense motion (oral) to remand to District Court-granted. Motion to amend general info-denied. Defendant waived physical presence. Zoom video appearance. Remanded 52/2 District court (#20-002050).
10/26/21: Stipulation/Order filed DNA samples; 1/2/21: Change of plaintiff attorney/prosecutor; 2/1/21: Motion Praecipe filed for 2/10/21. Motion filed AMD gif; 2/5/21: Response filed to Motion AMD gif/
. 2/10/21 Remanded 52/2 District Court #20-002050; final disposition. Defense motion (oral) to remand to District Court-granted. Motion to amend general info-denied; defendant waived physical presence for Zoom video appearance. 2/11/21: Affidavit/proof of service filed; Order of remand file 52/2. Next Scheduled for Exam hearing in the 52nd District Court on 2/23/21 @ 2pm.2/14/21 Update: Morris had his case remanded to its originating court as prosecutors continue fleshing out an additional charge of felony murder against him. However, Circuit Court Judge Martha Anderson ordered the case returned to the 52-2 District Court where charges were first filed so the additional charge or charges can be appended to the case. A felony murder charge can be added when the murder occurs during the commission of another felony; in this case, investigators had ready evidence of both kidnapping & sexual assault, and a charge or charges of that nature may also be considered. Morris was denied bond at his initial court appearance & remains held in an Oakland County jail. The remanding of his case means that his initial trial date has been cancelled. No new date for his trial on the expanded charges will be set until those charges are finalized by prosecutors.
2/17/21 Update: Miscellaneous Action: Hearing on 2/23/21 was cancelled. Next Scheduled for exam hearing on 3/8/21.
