Poker pro was bound with zip ties, sexually assaulted and lit on fire before body was dumped by sex offender

SUSIE Zhao, the professional poker player who was tragically killed in July, had been bound with zip ties, sexually assaulted with a large object and was “lit on fire,” a new report reveals.

The new disturbing details, revealed in court records obtained by WXYZ, also show that Zhao, 33, had met with her alleged killer Jeffery Morris in a motel the poker star was known to stay in at 9.26pm on July 12 – the night before her death.

Police were called after Zhao’s charred remains were found in a secluded nearby park at 8:05 a.m. the next morning, reports said.

Morris, 60, was pulled over by White Lake Township police on a warrant on July 31 after tips and canvassing witnesses led law enforcement to link Morris with Zhao, also known by her poker name Susie Q, in a joint investigation with the FBI.

After his arrest, Morris told cops that the two had left the Sherwood Motel to buy booze at a party store before returning and that Zhao had left around midnight with all of her belongings, including her cell phone.

However, cell phone records show Zhao’s phones did not leave the motel until 5 a.m. when surveillance video shows Morris allegedly leave and drive to the park — where he stayed for about seven minutes.

Cops said they have since found a wooden baseball bat and bed sheets with apparent blood stains that are being tested in the Oakland County Crime Lab.

Morris, who is homeless, has been charged with first-degree murder and was denied bond, court records show.

He is described as a Tier 3 sex offender by the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry after he was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1989.

Zhao, who was born in Beijing and raised in Michigan, has been living between Los Angeles and Las Vegas – but had returned to her hometown in June to deal with some personal challenges, the Oakland Press reported.

Her family and friends have mourned the loss, calling Zhao a free spirit and an “excellent player.”

The high-stakes gambler won a walloping $73,805 at the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event after placing 90th.

Her profile on the World Series of Poker lists her love for her pet turtle, Ninja, and indicates she has raked in more than $187,000 in WSOP events.

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