Friday, August 18, 2017

'Jenny Jones Murderer' Set to Walk Free for Premeditated Killing of Gay Man


Disgusted to read in the Daily News that the Michigan man who shot and killed his best friend after the pal revealed on a TV show that he had a crush on him is expected to be released from prison.

Jonathan Schmitz, dubbed the "Jenny Jones" killer, was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison for the 1995 murder of Scott Amedure. Schmitz, 47, was granted parole in March and will be released from the Parnall Correctional Institution next week, the Detroit Free Press reports. A specific release date has not been revealed. Schmitz was 24 when he appeared on "The Jenny Jones Show," for an episode titled "Same-Sex Secret Crushes." Amedure, 32, was on the show to tell Schmitz that he liked him. Schmitz did not know what producers were up to and believed his secret crush was a woman. Three days after the show taped, Schmitz fatally shot Amedure in his Lake Orion home. Schmitz turned himself in, telling authorities that he had been embarrassed on national television, the outlet reports. Producers on the daytime talk show decided not to air the episode following the crime, but a clip showing Amedure's confession played on news shows.

What makes this so sickening is that Schmitz was only convicted of SECOND-degree murder despite the fact that he drove to the bank to get cash, drove to a store to ammunition, then drove to another to buy a shutgun -- pausing to go home to assemble the weapon -- before driving to Amedure's home and shooting him twice at point-blank range as his roommate looked on in horror. If that doesn't demonstrate premeditation, what does?


Read the harrowing details of the execution of Scott Amedure HERE.



5 comments:

Unknown said...

I had always heard he actually killed the man because he had decided to sleep with him (or some variation somewhere there of) and then started to feel ashamed and worried others would hear about it. Is that not right? If that is the case I'm okay with his parole because you can only punish human failings so much (we have all dealt with shame and regret when drunk or hungover on hormones. I don't condone his reaction but won't condemn, either).. But if he murdered just because the other guy was attracted to him that is pathetic and he should rot in hell.

1UpJohn said...

Either way, it's murder. I'm not understanding your distinction.

jaragon said...

I think the killer must have felt some sort of attraction towards his gay victim. We've all had crushes of straight men and depending on the guy he might take it as a joke or be turned off- but murder seems like an extreme reaction. What was the defense "gay panic"?

Unknown said...

I don't know that I understand it, either--it's more of a feeling, having sympathy. Murder is murder, yes, but there are degrees to everything. Killing someone because of their opinion is worse, to me, than killing because you regret something you did. There would have been SOMETHING that actually happened to provoke him, however, dumb. I don't know; maybe a distinction without a difference.

Jbjg said...

I think that Scott continued to push the issue after Johnathon said he was straight. I don't condone the killing but given the circumstances (some mental illness) I can understand it. Had Scott not continued to embarrass him and goad him, I bet he would be alive today. Johnathon was obviously distraught.