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Scott Amedure
Born	Scott Bernard Amedure January 26, 1963(1963-01-26) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	March 9, 1995 (aged 32) Pontiac, Michigan
Cause of death	Homicide
Nationality	American

Scott Bernard Amedure (January 26, 1963 – March 9, 1995) was an American murder victim who was fatally shot after revealing on The Jenny Jones Show that he was attracted to an acquaintance.^[1] The acquaintance, Jonathan Schmitz, later shot Amedure and was found guilty of second degree murder. The Amedure family sued The Jenny Jones Show for wrongful death but the judgment was subsequently overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Contents 1 Appearance on The Jenny Jones Show and murder 2 Trial and sentencing 3 Wrongful death 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] Appearance on The Jenny Jones Show and murder

On March 6, 1995, Amedure was taped for an episode of the 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 had no idea who his secret admirer was and he went out of curiosity, and it was later claimed that the producers implied that his admirer was a woman.^[2][3]

According to the testimony at the murder trial, three days after the taping, Amedure left a "suggestive" note at Schmitz's house.^[4] After finding the note, Schmitz withdrew money from the bank, purchased a shotgun, and then went to Amedure's mobile home. There, he questioned Amedure about the note to which Amedure just smiled. 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, called 9-1-1, and confessed to the killing.^[5]

[edit] Trial and sentencing

Schmitz was found guilty of second degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to 25–50 years in prison, but his sentence was later overturned. Upon retrial, he was found guilty of the same charge once again and his sentence was re-instated.^[6]

[edit] Wrongful death

In 1999, the Amedure family sued The Jenny Jones Show, Telepictures, and Warner Brothers for the ambush tactics and their negligent role that led to Amedure's death. In May 1999, the jury awarded the Amedures US$25 million.^[7] The jury found that the Jenny Jones Show was both irresponsible and negligent, contending that the show intentionally created an explosive situation without due concern for the possible consequences.^[8] Time Warner's defense attorney later claimed the verdict would cause a chilling effect on the industry.^[9]

The judgment was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals in a 2 to 1 decision. ^[10]

The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the case (see official document).^[11]

[edit] See also

• Gay panic defense

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Court Of Appeals opinions
• Overthrown due to Bias
• Appeals court ruling another blow to family
• Triangle Foundation
• Scott Amedure at Find a Grave
• Jonathan Schmitz at the Michigan Dept. of Corrections

Persondata
NAME	Amedure, Scott
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Amedure, Scott Bernard
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Murder victim
DATE OF BIRTH	January 26, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH	March 9, 1995
PLACE OF DEATH	Pontiac, Michigan