michigan | My Crime Library

Jeffery Morris Gets Life For Susie Zhao Murder

A convicted sex offender Jeffery Morris is going to spend the rest of his life in prison for the brutal murder of poker pro Susie Zhao. According to court documents Jeffery Morris would tie up Susie Zhao who was then sexually assaulted before being doused with a substance and set on fire. Susie Zhao body would be dumped in a wooded area and when it was discovered the two men who found her remains initially thought it was a Halloween costume. Jeffery Morris would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole

Jeffery Morris 2022 Information

Current Status:

Prisoner

Earliest Release Date:

LIFE

Assigned Location:

Charles Egeler Reception And Guidance Center

Maximum Discharge Date:

LIFE

Jeffery Morris More News

Less than a month after being found guilty of murdering poker pro Susie Zhao, Jeffery Morris was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentencing in Michigan’s Oakland County Circuit Court comes two and a half years after Jeffery Morris brutalized and murdered Zhao, a Los Angeles poker scene regular who had moved to Michigan to live with family during the COVID-19 pandemic. The graphic case, in which prosecutors argued Morris “used Zhao to make his violent fantasies come true,” has captivated the poker community as those who knew Zhao awaited justice.

The 62-year-old Jeffery Morris appeared in court in a crumpled orange jumpsuit and stood silently as Judge Martha Anderson delivered the sentencing in the brutal case.

“Having sat through that trial, it was one of the most agonizing things for myself,” Anderson said on Thursday morning. “And trust me, I’ve had murder trials, many, many of them. But I can’t get over the brutality of this murder, and the needlessness of it all.

As laid out during the week-long trial, Jeffery Morris met up with Zhao, who struggled with illness and had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia, at a Michigan motel before tieing her up and driving her to a state recreation area, where he sexually assaulted and burned her alive.

“You took advantage of an individual who was fragile and basically destroyed everything that she had accomplished in her life,” Anderson told Jeffery Morris on Thursday. “And I don’t believe there’s any sentence that this court could impose that will ever make others that are close to Zhao feel good about the situation.”

Lead prosecutor John Skrzynski, who built a robust case against Morris that drew from cell phone data, eyewitness reports and DNA evidence, told the court that “the worst punishment that he can have is the one that he’s going to receive.”

“Because for the rest of his life he’s going to have to live with people who are exactly like him,” said Skrzynski.

Morris declined to speak ahead of his sentencing other than stating that “there’s a lot I would like to say, but at this time I’m not going to say anything.”

“I’ll wait until we come back on appeal and we do it again,” he said.

Before Anderson delivered her sentence, Meredith Rogowski, a childhood friend of Zhao’s, spoke on behalf of Zhao’s family and told the court that the trial had been “just a small, gruesome glimpse of a … beautiful life.”

Rogowski talked about meeting Zhao on the school bus in 6th grade in Michigan and forming “a friendship that significantly shaped the course of my life.” She said Zhao was “conspicuously adult” from a young age and had a love for dark comedies, unicorns and glitter.

Zhao, who came to the US from China as a young child, also had a love for games, and in middle school she discovered a game called poker and “organically absorbed it into her identity.”

“After school, she would routinely meet other kids in the basement of the apartment complex and win their allowance,” said Rogowski, who noted that Zhao “liked that it was a boy’s game and with her natural charisma, mathematical aptitude and skill for reading others, she found a lot of power in a deck of cards.”

After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in psychology, Zhao moved to the West Coast to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional poker player. She played and commentated on the Live at the Bike stream at LA’s Bicycle Casino, made multiple deep runs in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and befriended players like Xuan Liu, Bart Hanson, Allen Kessler and Ronnie Bardah.

“Poker was how Susie discovered the American Dream,” said Rogowski. “Poker enabled her to turn nothing into tremendous wealth. And this was freedom.”

Though friends had “noticed changes in Susie’s behavior” in recent years, Rogowski said she hadn’t been aware of Zhao’s schizophrenia diagnosis and mental health struggles until after her death.

“But one thing was certain about Susie: she never expressed any vulnerability or weakness,” she said. “Her poker face was unbreakable. If she had told us what she was going through, what was inside her head, we would have been there for her.”

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2022/11/jeffery-morris-sentencing-susie-zhao-murder-42487.htm

Ethan Crumbley Teen Killer To Plead Guilty To 4 Murders

Ethan Crumbley the teen killer who brought a gun to Oxford High School and shot and killed four students is expected to plead guilty to a host of charges on Monday, October 24 2022, including four counts of murder. Ethan Crumbley who was given a gun for Christmas by his parents went to his high school in Michigan on November 30 2021 and opened fire killing fellow students Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17.

Along with the murder charges Ethan Crumbley will plead guilty to terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm. Ethan Crumbley is facing life in prison when he is sentenced.

Ethan Crumbley More News

A teenager accused of killing four fellow students and injuring seven people at Oxford High School is expected to plead guilty to murder next week, authorities said Friday.

Ethan Crumbley had created images of violence during a classroom assignment last November but was not sent home from Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan. He pulled out a gun a few hours later and committed a mass shooting.

“We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism, and the prosecutor has notified the victims,” said David Williams, chief assistant prosecutor in Oakland County.

Williams told the Free Press that prosecutors made no plea deals, no reductions and no agreements regarding sentencing.

Crumbley, 16, is due in court Monday. His lawyers had not responded Friday to messages seeking comment.

He was 15 when the shooting occurred. Crumbley’s parents had been summoned to school that day to discuss their son’s ominous writings. A teacher had found a drawing with a gun pointing at the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”

James and Jennifer Crumbley had said they would get him counseling but declined to take Ethan home, according to investigators. The parents are charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly buying their son the gun that police say was used in the shooting.

“Put simply, they created an environment in which their son’s violent tendencies flourished. They were aware their son was troubled, and then they bought him a gun,” prosecutors said in a court filing

The Crumbleys said they were unaware of Ethan’s plan. They also dispute that the gun was easy to get at home.In court documents, prosecutors have revealed portions of Ethan Crumbley’s personal journal. He said his grades were poor and that his parents hated each other and had no money.

“This just furthers my desire to shoot up the school or do something else,” the teen wrote. All three Crumbleys are being held at the Oakland County Jail, though Ethan is kept away from adults.

In Oxford, former School Board Treasurer Korey Bailey said the guilty plea did not come as surprise to him. Bailey resigned from the board in September. He said he believes that the community will not find peace until residents believe the school district has fully completed a third-party investigation.

“There’s no question about his guilt,” he said. “I don’t really think it’s going to give the community the peace that they’re looking for, until we get to a point where the school board is willing to hold those accountable for threat assessment or lack thereof.”

Lori Borgeau, an Oxford High parent and advocate for stronger safety measures around the school said a development like Friday’s always raises a lot of emotions for the community. The parent said she and others are thinking of the families of children who were killed,, along with those injured on Nov. 30.

“Really what’s heavy on our minds is the families, the families that were most affected, the families of Hana, Tate, Justin and Madisyn,” she said.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/10/21/ethan-crumbley-to-plead-guilty-murder-oxford-shooting-prosecutors/69581215007/

Deangelo Martin Detroit Serial Killer Sentenced

Deangelo Martin the Detroit serial killer who was responsible for four murders and two sexual assaults learned his fate today. According to court documents Deangelo Martin would murder four women, Annetta Nelson, 57; Nancy Harrison, 52; Trevesene Ellis, 55; and Tamara Jones, 55, whose bodies were found in vacant homes in the Detroit area.. Deangelo Martin was scheduled to start trial in September however at the last moment he would plead guilty to the four murders and two sexual assaults. Deangelo Martin would be sentenced to 45 to 70 years in prison meaning he must serve at least 45 years before he is eligible for parole.

Deangelo Martin 2022 Information

MDOC Number:

493207

SID Number:

2416020W

Name:

DEANGELO KENNETH MARTIN

Racial Identification:

Black

Gender:

Male

Hair:

Black

Eyes:

Brown

Height:

5′ 10″

Weight:

195 lbs.

Date of Birth:

05/30/1985 (37)

Deangelo Martin More News

On Thursday, DeAngelo Martin, who terrorized Detroit’s east side in 2019 and killed four different women, will spend at least 45 years in prison after pleading guilty last month to second-degree murder charges.

Martin pleaded guilty in early September to the murders of four women and the rape and sexual assault of 10 others. As part of his plea agreement, he will be sentenced to between 45 and 70 years in prison for each count, which will be served concurrently.

The 37-year-old was bound over for trial for the four murders on August 20, 2020, and was expected to go before a jury in September this year. Instead, a plea deal was reached and was sentenced Thursday afternoon in Wayne County.

During the sentencing, family members spoke about how their lives have changed. Among the family members was Gary Harrison, the father of Nancy Harrison.

“We miss Nancy. Nancy had a little problem, but she owned her own home, paid all of her bills, and every once in a while she’d go over to Detroit. That’s where her mistake was,” Gary said.

He said his daughter will never know his grandkids, both of whom were born after her murder and ended his remarks like this:

“Whatever happens here today, I hope the best. I hope Bubba’ll get ya,” he said.

Martin was arrested after police were notified to a decomposing body found inside a vacant Detroit home on June 5, 2019, on Mack Avenue. However, he’s also been linked to murders on Winthrop Street in February 2018, two killings in March 2019 on Coventry Street and Linnhurst Street.

When Martin was bound over for trial, he was charged with killing Annetta Nelson, 57, Nancy Harrison, 52, Trevesene Ellis, 55, and Tamara Jones, 55 – all from Detroit.

Harrison’s brother, Timothy, spoke next and said that he was bitter about what Martin did.

“It’s been a rough 3.5 years. Every day, we think about Nancy. This gentleman here knows my sister. He knew my sister. He knew Nancy had a heart. Shame on him,” Timothy said. “I’m going to say a prayer for this gentleman. I’m bitter. Very much so.”

Harrison’s daughter, Lisa Hohnstreiter, was the last of her family to speak and talked for the longest. She said the state should have the death penalty.

“I’ve waited three years for this day. The day that you rot in hell, DeAngelo Martin – exactly where you belong. You’re the perfect example of why Michigan should have the death penalty,” she said.

In the three years since her mom’s murder, Hohnstreiter said she’s had two daughters but Martin made it so that they will never meet her mother.

“What you did to my mom isn’t fair,” she said. “My mom is with me today and I know that. The plea deal gives you hope that you may get out of hell one day. You don’t deserve to see daylight for another day in your life. You should be getting life; giving you no hope to ever get out of hell. I hope you rot in hell for eternity.”

The daughter of another victim, Travesene Ellis, spoke next and told the court that she has prayed for mercy for Martin.

“I was afraid to live, but I said a prayer for myself and for my family. I also said a prayer for Mr. Martin. I pray that God has mercy on your soul,” Latrease Ellis said. “We all have things we’re not proud of but I want to be forgiven one day, too.”

The last family member to speak was Anita Nelson Reed, the twin sister of Anetta Nelson. Anita said her sister was intelligent but had an illness and a ‘demon called crack’.

She said her sister may have struggled but was not homeless.

“She survived. She had family members who loved her and looked after her,” Anita said. “I’m grateful for the man who found her in the house – black and blue, bloody in her face pants pulled down, raped, strangled, and murdered in that vacant and abandoned house.”

Anita finished her statement by asking the judge to throw away the key.

The last person to speak in court was Martin, himself. Who, in a very brief and barely audible statement, said that it was ‘not his wrong-doing’.

But the judge reminded him of his plea deal and the evidence against him before sentencing him to 45 to 70 years in prison

Martin had been connected to two other murders – Deborah Reynolds and Yvonne Cobern – but he was never charged in the homicides.

Martin’s alleged crimes detailed in hearings and filings shocked the victim’s family when he appeared in court in 2019. Family of Harrison said at the time they believed it took authorities too long to arrest and charge Martin.

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/detroit-serial-killer-deangelo-martin-sentenced-thursday-for-murders-of-6-women

Arthur Williamson Charged In Detroit Anchors Murder

Arthur Williamson has been charged in Michigan with the murder of news anchor Jim Matthews as well as the attacks on other family members. According to police Arthur Williamson, who was known to the family, would fatally stab Jim Matthews as well as injure 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter and the 35-year-old mother of the kids who are believed to have been struck with a hammer however this last part has yet to be confirmed.

What we do now is Arthur Williamson is a felony who has been in and out of prison over his 55 years. Police are still trying to figure out what the motive was behind the brutal attacks. Arthur Williamson has been charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and three counts of unlawful imprisonment.

Arthur Williamson More News

A convicted felon with a 30-year criminal history was arraigned Monday in connection with the fatal stabbing late last week of WWJ-AM (950) anchor Jim Matthews and attacks on three other family members, but officials said the motive remained unclear.

Arthur Levan Williamson, 55, on Pontiac was charged with seven felony charges in New Baltimore’s 42-2 District Court, including first-degree murder, felony murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and three counts of unlawful imprisonment. He’s being held without bond at Macomb County Jail.

Arthur Williamson is accused of fatally stabbing Matthews, 57, in an attack on Friday at a Chesterfield Township home that injured three others, including the radio anchor’s 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter and the 35-year-old mother of the kids. A media advisory from Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido called it a “hammer attack.”

Macomb County Assistant Public Defender Adrian Cranford represented Williamson during the arraignment where the judge did not read off the charges and denied several attempts by Cranford to bring up the topic of bond. Cranford had no further comment after the arraignment.

Chesterfield Township Police Chief Brian Bassett said at a Monday afternoon press conference that police are still trying to figure out the relationship between Arthur Williamson and the victims. Matthews’ older brother Joe Nicolai, who lives next door to Matthew, said Monday he thinks he’s seen Williamson around a few times.

Lucido said there were no signs of breaking and entering and there is evidence to show the suspect was not an “unwanted guest.”

Authorities are still trying to establish a timeline. Bassett said Arthur Williamson arrived sometime in the middle of the night and Matthews arrived home around 6 a.m. The timeline between then and noon when police were called is still unknown.

Police were called to the Hidden Harbor Condominiums at about noon Friday after a woman escaped the home with her 5-year-old daughter. The woman’s son, 10, was found tied up in a closet with severe injuries from blunt force trauma. Matthews was found dead.

Matthews’ girlfriend Nicole Guertin flagged down a bystander upon escaping the house with her daughter, Matthews’ older brother Joe Nicolai said Monday. Matthews and Nicolai are neighbors and after the bystander called 911, Nicolai said his wife, Jennifer, came outside and held Guertin’s hands in the parking lot.

“My wife called me at work. I’m a plumbing contractor and I just dropped everything,” said Nicolai, who added that he and his brother shared the same last name but Matthews was a professional pseudonym

The neighborhood was put on lockdown Friday as well as the school across the street where Matthews’ children attend, Nicolai said.

Nicolai said he believes Guertin met Arthur Williamson at a support and recovery group and he thinks he’s seen him around a few times. He said he’s worried Guertin may have been manipulated.

“Nicole is very naïve, wouldn’t hurt a fly, always means well,” Nicolai said

Though Nicolai doesn’t have all the details of what happened, he said he knows one thing for certain. He knows what his 10-year-old nephew did when he saw his family being hurt and called him brave.

“I know (my nephew) was attacked brutally and tied up in the closet because he was trying to defend his father and his sister,” Nicolai said. “Ten-year-old boy, not on his watch.”

The 10-year-old boy is in critical but stable condition, while the 5-year-old girl has been released from the hospital, Bassett said. The mother is in stable condition but is being held for observation, he said.

Arthur Williamson was found in the basement, where it appeared he had overdosed and attempted to commit suicide, according to authorities. Bassett said authorities treated him on the scene before he was transported to an area hospital.

Court records show Arthur Williamson who was arraigned on his 55th birthday Monday, has a criminal history that dates back at least 30 years. Since 1993, Arthur Williamson has racked up convictions for assault, assault with intent to commit murder, kidnapping, illegal weapons possession, drugs and violations for assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

He was on parole on a breaking and entering conviction out of Clinton County until January, eight months before police say he stabbed Matthews. Williamson’s arraignment came as Matthews’ friends and co-workers are reeling from his death, calling him a devoted father and journalist.

A GoFundMe account was created over the weekend to support Matthews’ two kids. The GoFundMe, established by Ashley Quigley, the aunt of Matthews’ two kids, had raised $13,000 by late Monday morning.

Donations will go toward getting her 5-year-old niece and 10-year-old nephew “everything they need,” said Quigley, the sister of Matthews’ wife: “My niece is doing well, but my nephew is in critical condition.”

Quigley said her nephew underwent brain and ear surgeries. Both operations were successful, she said. She called her nephew’s recovery “from a vicious, needless attack” the biggest challenge he has yet to face. She also said she and her husband are taking care of Matthews’ daughter, 5.

“I wasn’t going to make a GoFundMe, but it was recommended,” she wrote on the page, created Sunday. “Anything donated is going to these two kids. They have been through so much and I feel like the least I can do is create something that helps them adapt to what comes after this tragedy.

“Thank you to everyone who is giving us well wishes. It is amazing to see the community pull together for these two children,” she wrote.

Nicolai said his nephew woke up briefly Monday and he’s been in and out of consciousness, but it’s good news so far. Nicolai said he plans on selling his brother’s home to help pay for the care of the two children will require for the rest of their lives due to injuries and trauma.

“I lost my brother, but they lost their father,” Nicolai said. “They need all the attention, and they need all the financial support.”

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/09/26/fundraiser-launched-for-children-of-slain-wwj-anchor/69518087007/

Azuradee France Charged After Boy Found In Freezer

Azuradee France is a woman from Detroit Michigan after police found the body of her three year old son dead in a freezer. According to police reports a wellness check was performed at her home and officers found the body of three year old Chase Allen was found dead in the freezer and the little boy had been there for quite sometime. According to family members child protective services had been sent to the home multiple times and Azuradee France would tell them that her son was living with his Grandfather girlfriend in Florida. Well turns out the Grandfather was in prison during this time and when he finally got out he would tell police he had not seen his grandchild in quite a long time. Azuradee France has been charged with felony murder, first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing the death of an individual.

Azuradee France More News

Azuradee France has been charged with murder after the body of her 3-year-old son was found in a basement freezer.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Sunday that Azuradee France, 31, has been charged with felony murder, first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing the death of an individual.

“The alleged facts in this case have astounded even the seriously jaded,” Worthy said in a statement Sunday. “Our children continue to be at risk — not just from gun violence but also from the alleged murderer that lives in the house with them.

Azuradee France was arraigned Sunday and remanded to jail. A probable cause conference is set for 8:30 a.m. July 8, and a preliminary examination for 1:30 p.m. July 15 before Judge Kenneth King.

Detroit police officers were sent to a home in the 12760 block of Monte Vista for a wellness check on a child at 12:45 p.m. Friday and discovered the remains of a deceased child in the freezer,

The medical examiner determined the boy’s death was a homicide. The case remains under investigation, and the facts and evidence will be placed on the record at the preliminary examination, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Police said Friday that when a team of Detroit cops and a state child advocate arrived at the house, the woman who answered the door acted strangely.

They called for a supervisor and the team entered the home, found five children living in squalor and the decomposed body of the boy entombed in a basement freezer.

“This case has shocked me, and shocked our investigators,” Detroit Police Chief James White said during a press conference Friday just down the street from the crime scene.

Toni Haynes, the boy’s grandmother, said Friday her dead grandson’s name was Chase Allen, and that he was blind.

Haynes said she became suspicious when her daughter, Chase’s mother, told her the boy had burned his hand by touching a plateful of noodles so she called Child Protective Services.

“I called CPS on her. A lot of us called, and they’d come out and give her kids right back to her.”

Haynes said after the state visited her daughter’s home several times, her daughter told her Chase had gone to live with his paternal grandfather’s girlfriend in Coldwater.

“But then (the grandfather) got out of jail and he told me Chase wasn’t living with his girlfriend,” Haynes said.

She said family members went to the house on Monte Vista about two weeks ago to confront her daughter, followed by another call to state Child Protective Services

Haynes said she had no idea how long Chase had been entombed in the freezer.

Haynes has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Chase’s funeral, and for clothing and other necessities for the surviving children.

Friday’s grisly discovery harkened to a 2015 case involving Mitchelle Blair, who enlisted the aid of two of her children to help kill their two siblings and cram their bodies into a freezer.

Known as the “Freezer Mom,” Blair pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges and is serving a life prison sentence.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/06/26/detroit-woman-charged-murder-after-3-year-old-son-founded-dead-freezer/7740301001/