The Case of Scott Amedure

Scott Amedure, 32, was shot and killed at his Lake Orion, Michigan, home on March 9, 1995. Three days earlier, Scott and Jonathan Schmitz had appeared together during a taping of The Jenny Jones Show, where Scott revealed that he had a secret crush on Schmitz. Following the taping, Schmitz became increasingly distressed about the encounter. After finding a suggestive note at his home, he purchased a shotgun, went to Scott's home and shot him twice in the chest. Schmitz was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.

Scott Bernard Amedure was 32 years old and lived in Lake Orion, Michigan. He worked as a bartender and was openly gay. In March 1995, Scott agreed to appear on The Jenny Jones Show with his acquaintance Jonathan Schmitz and their mutual friend Donna Riley. The programme was recording an episode about same-sex secret crushes. Scott had a secret romantic interest in Schmitz and agreed to reveal it during the taping. Schmitz had been told that he would meet a secret admirer but said he believed the admirer would be a woman. During the March 6 taping in Chicago, Scott revealed his attraction to Schmitz in front of the studio audience. Schmitz said during the programme that he was heterosexual but initially appeared to take the revelation in good humour. The episode was never broadcast. After returning to Michigan, however, Schmitz became increasingly upset about the encounter and discussed the incident with people he knew.

On March 9, 1995, Scott was at his mobile home in Lake Orion. Earlier that morning, Schmitz discovered a sexually suggestive note outside his home that he believed had been left by Scott. He went to a bank, withdrew money and purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition. Schmitz then drove to Scott's home. He confronted Scott about the note. According to the evidence later presented in court, Schmitz initially left the property before returning with the shotgun. He then fired two shots into Scott's chest at the doorway of the home. Scott died from his injuries. Schmitz left the property and subsequently telephoned police from a nearby location, telling them that he had shot Scott. Police arrested him shortly afterwards.

Schmitz's telephone call to police provided investigators with an immediate suspect and an admission that he had shot Scott. Police recovered the shotgun and ammunition and investigated the circumstances leading to the killing. The investigation established the connection between the murder and the Jenny Jones Show taping three days earlier. The unaired programme was eventually obtained and became significant evidence during the criminal proceedings. Investigators also established that Schmitz had purchased the shotgun shortly before going to Scott's home. The prosecution argued that the purchase of the weapon and Schmitz's actions before the shooting demonstrated that the killing was more than an instantaneous reaction. The defence focused heavily on Schmitz's emotional state and the humiliation he said he experienced following the television appearance. The case subsequently became closely associated with discussion of the controversial "gay panic" defence, although the jury ultimately convicted Schmitz of second-degree rather than first-degree murder.

Schmitz was initially convicted of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in November 1996. He was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison for murder, with an additional two-year sentence for the firearm offence. His conviction was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals because of an error involving jury selection, resulting in a new trial. Schmitz was tried again in 1999 and was once again convicted of second-degree murder. He was again sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. Schmitz was released on parole in August 2017, after serving approximately 22 years. Scott's family also brought a wrongful-death lawsuit against the producers and companies associated with The Jenny Jones Show. A jury initially awarded the family approximately $29.3 million, but the Michigan Court of Appeals later overturned that judgment, finding that the programme's producers did not have a legally recognised duty to prevent Schmitz's subsequent criminal act.

Scott's murder became one of the most widely discussed cases involving daytime television in the 1990s. His death raised questions about the responsibilities of talk-show producers when dealing with emotionally sensitive revelations and about the legal and social consequences of so-called "ambush" television. The unaired Jenny Jones Show episode was later shown to jurors during the criminal proceedings.