A Michigan man convicted in the 1995 murder of another man who expressed romantic interest in him on national television is expected to be released from prison.
Jonathan Schmitz was 24-years-old when his acquaintance Scott Amedure, 32, revealed he was romantically interested in him during a taping of the ‘Jenny Jones Show,’ which was filmed in Chicago.
Schmitz, who said he wasn’t gay, fatally shot Amedure in Lake Orion three days after the taping.
Jonathan Schmitz (pictured left) was 24-years-old when he shot and killed Scott Amedure, 32
Schmitz turned himself in to police, saying he killed Amedure because he was embarrassed on national television.
He was sentenced 25 to 50 years for second-degree murder.
Schmitz, now 47, was granted parole after a March hearing and is scheduled to be released from Parnall Correctional Institution next week.
Scott’s older brother, Frank Amedure Jr., said he’s troubled by the parole decision and that he’s unsure Schmitz ‘learned what he should have’ in prison.
Schmitz was given a 25 to 50m year sentence for the killing, that took place three days after the ‘Jenny Jones’ show taping
Jenny Jones (pictured) invited the two on her show in 1995, keeping Amedure’s identity a secret from Schmitz until the taping
‘I wanted assurance that the (parole board’s) decision was not based on just good behavior in prison,’ he said.
‘I’d like to know that he learned something, that he’s a changed man, is no longer homophobic and has gotten psychological care.’
Geoffrey Fieger, who served as an attorney for the Amedure family, said that everybody involved in the Jenny Jones Show also deserved imprisonment.
‘That show set him (Schmitz) up and certainly took Scott Amedure’s life for no reason,’ Fieger said.
The episode never aired but clips were shown on news shows.
The Michigan Department of Corrections doesn’t list an attorney for Schmitz.
The Jenny Jones show was cancelled in 2003 after recording the lowest ratings of any daytime talk show.
Schmitz said he killed Amedure (pictured left) because he felt humiliated on national television