In 1995, Jonathan Schmitz appeared alongside his friend Scott Amedure during a taping of The Jenny Jones Show. The topic of the episode was “secret admirers,” a common one at the time on the now-defunct daytime talk show. During the taping, Schmitz was blindsided by the revelation that he was the subject of Amedure’s romantic infatuation, and the 24-year-old didn’t take the news well.
“Now which of these ways would you choose to reveal your secret crush on someone? A. Would you write that person a letter? B. Would you tell that person in private in case he rejects you? Or, C. Would you tell that person that you’re gay and you hope that he is on national television?”
Three days later, reportedly after a night of heavy drinking and finding a note from his hopeful gay lover on his door, Jonathan Schmitz murdered his former friend as a result of the public declaration, shooting him twice with a 12-gauge shotgun, reports Crime Online. Schmitz would later tell police that he killed Amedure due to the “extreme embarrassment” he suffered on The Jenny Jones Show.
The taped episode of The Jenny Jones Show that spawned the deadly shooting never aired in its entirety, but clips were played during the trial and have been since been released in news articles regarding the senseless slaying.
As The Washington Post reports, even prosecutor in the case Richard Thompson claimed that Jonathan Schmitz was “ambushed” by The Jenny Jones Show, publicly mocked and laughed at for nothing more than TV ratings. It is worth noting that the then-popular daytime talk show was relatively tabloid-esque.
“What you are seeing on the tape is a 24-year-old man facing the studio audience and the camera with what I consider to be an ambush. He is visibly upset. People are laughing. It’s like a Roman circus where the audience gives a thumbs up or thumbs down to everything that is going on.”
Murderer Jonathan Schmitz in Jenny Jones TV case to be released https://t.co/wRHeySJtDG
— FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) August 17, 2017
Jonathan Schmitz was tried, and in 1996, found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 to 50 years behind bars. As The Washington Post reports, Schmitz and his legal team would go on to appeal that verdict and be granted a retrial in 1999. However, the verdict of the second trial resulted in the same sentence.
LGBT advocates say it’s a famous example of killer using “gay panic” defense. But Schmitz’s attorneys say real focus was his mental health.
— Kate Wells (@KateLouiseWells) August 22, 2017
I still remember arguing the ethics of journalism & talk shows in an “issues in media” class a few years after this happened. Amazing.
— ?Janet? (@THEsisterjanet) August 23, 2017
The family of victim Scott Amedure would go on to sue the producers of The Jenny Jones Show in civil court for the wrongful death of their loved one. The jury who heard the case awarded $25 million to the family of the victim, but that award was overturned on appeal.
In March, Jonathan Schmitz was granted parole after serving just 22 years of his 25- to 50-year sentence. He was released from custody on August 22 and will remain on supervised parole until August 22, 2019. Schmitz is now residing with his parents in Michigan and is said to be going about his life as normally as possible – including visiting a pet store and insurance agent – since his release.
Jonathan Schmitz released from prison after 1995 ‘Jenny Jones Show’ slaying https://t.co/mFXFuZnQwk pic.twitter.com/r0oTSJ6dUP
— The Macomb Daily (@macombdaily) August 24, 2017
Not surprisingly, the family of Scott Amedure is not particularly thrilled that their loved one’s killer is back on the streets so soon. Specifically, Frank Amedure, the older brother of the victim, is concerned about whether or not Jonathan Schmitz is still dangerously homophobic, reports Daily Mail.
“I’d like to know that he learned something, that he’s a changed man, is no longer homophobic and has gotten psychological care.”
The Jenny Jones Show was a massive TV hit in the 1990s but was canceled in 2003, years after the highly-publicized Jonathan Schmitz scandal, after earning the lowest ratings of any daytime talk show. Since his release from prison, Schmitz has declined to speak to the media.
[Featured Image by Jeff Kowalsky/AP Images]
