CRIME STORIES: KILLER TELEVISION: THE JENNY JONES CASE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of programs exploring true crimes and criminals.
In this episode, host Richard Belzer introduces the so-called "Jenny Jones case," in which 26-year-old Jonathan Schmitz shot and killed acquaintance Scott Amedure on March 9, 1995 after the latter revealed his romantic interest in him on an episode of the daytime talk series "The Jenny Jones Show." Jones stresses her innocence in the matter, though she and her show were blamed as the "mixing bowl" that brought killer and victim together. When called to testify, Jones was "strangely subdued," though she later attributes her demeanor to her own sense of fear and uncertainty about the trial. Jonathan's attorney explains that he was "mortified" by the on-camera reveal, adding that Scott continued pursuing him when they returned to Detroit after the taping, prompting Jonathan to purchase a shotgun and kill Scott in his home. He then called 911 and confessed, admitting that he committed the crime out of a sense of humiliation.
Jonathan's father Al explains that his son, who had a history of mental illness, suicide attempts and Graves' disease, was intrigued by the invitation to appear on TV to meet his "secret admirer," adding that he told Jonathan to "be a gentleman" even if he wasn't attracted to the woman in question. Scott's mother, Pat Graves, notes that the openly gay Scott was a fun-loving practical joker who enjoyed the limelight, though he had experienced issues with drugs and fights with lovers in the past. Al denies any homophobia on his or his son's part, though notes that he finds homosexuality "immoral." At the March 6 taping of the episode, Jonathan seemed merely amused by Scott's confession as he asserted his own heterosexuality. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger, hired by the Amedure family to sue "The Jenny Jones Show" in civil court, discusses the danger of "ambush TV" in which guests are put on the spot with potentially embarrassing surprises. TV host Morton Downey Jr. agrees that Jones' show format was irresponsible, though Jones defends her episodes as harmless "fun."
At the heated civil trial, Fieger tried to embarrass Jones with unnecessary personal questions and claimed Jonathan was "misled" to believe the admirer was his ex-girlfriend, adding that Jones pushed Scott to openly describe his sexual fantasies about Jonathan. However, the episode footage, which was never aired in full, showed Jonathan laughing in response to Scott's comments, and he went out drinking with Scott and mutual friend Donna Riley, who helped to arrange the "surprise," after the taping. Others suggest that Jonathan was indeed told ahead of time that his "admirer" was a man, and show producer Ron Muccianti states that Jonathan and Scott actually had a sexual encounter after the taping, though Riley denies that Jonathan would have done so. Despite the defense's argument of diminished capacity, Jonathan was found guilty of second-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to 25-50 years in prison. The Amedure family was awarded $25 million in compensation when the show and its company, Time Warner, were found liable in the 1999 civil trial (though the decision was overturned in 2002). Jonathan is set to be retried in 1999 due to a technicality, though Scott's brother Frank, who notes that his own experiences with mental illness have never led to murder, hopes that he will remain in prison. Jones explains that she has become "cynical" about the press because of the sensationalistic coverage of the murder, and Graves wonders if exploitative television will eventually escalate to an on-air murder. (Jonathan was again found guilty in September 1999 and was released from prison in 2017.) Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Court TV
- DATE:
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:66006
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Public affairs/Documentaries; Crime and criminals; Homophobia
- SERIES RUN: Court TV/TruTV - TV series, 1998-2010
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bonnie Dry … Executive Producer
- Alastair Bates … Producer, Writer
- Lorna Perkell … Associate Producer
- George Small … Music by
- Sarah Larson … Music by
- Richard Belzer … Host
- June Grasso … Interviewer
- Jenny Jones … Interviewee
- Morton Downey Jr. … Interviewee
- Al Schmitz … Interviewee
- Pat Graves … Interviewee
- Geoffrey Fieger … Interviewee
- Frank Amedure … Interviewee
- Scott Amedure
- Ron Muccianti
- Donna Riley
- Jonathan Schmitz