Murder of Scott Amedure

On March 6, 1995, Amedure videotaped an episode of The Jenny Jones Show, in which he admitted to being a secret admirer of Jonathan Schmitz, who lived near him in Lake Orion, Michigan. Until the taping, Schmitz did not know who would be revealed as his secret admirer. Schmitz stated that he participated in the show due to curiosity, and he claimed later that the producers implied that his admirer was a woman,[1][2] although the producers of the show claim that they did tell Schmitz that the admirer could be male or female.[3]

During the segment, Amedure was encouraged by Jones to share his fantasies about Schmitz, after which Schmitz was brought onstage. According to the Washington Post, "[t]he two men exchanged an awkward embrace before the host dropped her bombshell." In response to Amedure's disclosure, Schmitz laughed, then stated that he was "completely heterosexual".[4]

According to footage of the murder trial, it was stated later by a friend of Amedure's that Amedure and Schmitz went out drinking together the night after the taping and an alleged sexual encounter occurred.[3] According to the testimony at the murder trial, three days after the taping, Amedure left a "suggestive" note at Schmitz's house.[5] After finding the note, Schmitz withdrew money from a bank, purchased a shotgun, and then went to Amedure's mobile home. He questioned Amedure about the note. Schmitz then returned to his car, got his gun, and returned to Amedure's trailer. He then shot Amedure twice in the chest, killing him. After killing Amedure, Schmitz left the residence, telephoned 9-1-1, and confessed to the killing.[6][7]

At trial, defense attorneys argued that Schmitz, who had been diagnosed with manic depression and Graves' disease, was caused to commit homicide by mental illness and humiliation, by way of the "gay panic defense".[8] Schmitz was found guilty of second degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to 25–50 years in prison, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. Upon retrial, he was found guilty of the same charge once again and his sentence was reinstated.[9] Schmitz was released from prison on August 22, 2017.[10]

In 1999, the Amedure family, retaining Geoffrey Fieger as lawyer, sued The Jenny Jones Show, Telepictures, and Warner Bros. for the ambush tactics and, as the Amedure family considered it, their negligent actions that resulted in Amedure's death. In May, the jury awarded the Amedures $29,332,686.[11]

The jury found that The Jenny Jones Show was both irresponsible and negligent, contending that the show intentionally created an unpredictable situation without due concern for the possible consequences.[12] Time Warner's defense attorney later claimed the verdict would cause a "chilling effect" on the industry.[13]

The judgment was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals in a 2-to-1 decision.[14] The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the case.[15]

The podcast Criminal included the murder of Scott Amedure and following trial of Jonathan Schmitz in their episode, "Panic Defense," about the gay panic defense.[16]

The Jenny Jones controversy was also covered as the first episode in the Netflix series Trial by Media.[17]

• Tabloid talk show
• Homophobia
• Gay panic defense

• Court Opinion – Majority Authored Published
• Court Opinion – Dissenting
• Overthrown due to Bias
• Several articles regarding the Appeals Court Ruling from The Oakland Press
• Equality Michigan – LGBT Rights Organization
• Scott Amedure at Find a Grave
• Jonathan Schmitz at the Michigan Dept. of Corrections