A new Netflix docuseries dives into the infamous 1996 case involving a man who killed his gay best friend after the friend revealed his crush during a daytime talk show taping.
Trial By Media is a true crime series that looks back at some of the most notorious court cases of our time and how the media may have impacted the verdicts.
The Jenny Jones Show was one of the most popular daytime talk shows on television in the ’90s, airing for 12 seasons between 1991 and 2003.
In March 1995, Scott Amedure appeared on the show to proclaim his love for his friend, Jonathan Schmitz, with Jones acting as a moderator. The segment, titled “Same Sex Secret Crushes,” was awkward and ultimately ended with Schmitz rebuffing Amedure by saying he was “completely heterosexual.”
The episode was never broadcast, however, because three days later, Schmitz withdrew cash from his bank account to purchase a .12-gauge shotgun. He went over to Amedure’s home in Detroit and shot him twice, killing him instantly, before turning himself into police.
A media circus ensued. Jones testified during Schmitz’s trial, where it was alleged that, prior to the murder, he and Amedure had hooked up. He was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 25-50 years in prison. He was released in August 2017.
But things didn’t end there.
In 1999, Amedure’s family filed a $30 million lawsuit against The Jenny Jones Show, Telepictures, and Warners Bros., claiming Jone’s ambush interview tactics resulted in their son’s murder. They initially won the case, but the judgement was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Trial By Media lands on Netflix on May 11. Watch the trailer below.
Chrisk
I remember when that happened and how disappointed I was in not being able to see the episode.
Crappy thing to do to a guy but It’s also clear that John had his own secret. Also, fascinating watching him laugh it off when you know what was going to happen.
Also, him getting paroled in 2017 is outrageous. That was pre meditated first degree murder. If Scott was a she I guarantee you he would never see the outside again.
louisemunderwood
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Bob LaBlah
I feel he (Amadure) got exactly what he asked for and Schmitz should have filed a lawsuit against Jones for setting him up on national television to be humiliated for the entertainment and ratings of a show. These were the days when morning television talks shows had hit the skids. Ricky Lake producers were notorious for going to the Christopher Street piers and bring flamboyant young hispanic boys on her show for no other reason than to read each other and keep her rating up.
Vince
Wow. So you think murder is a justifiable response over a little embarrassment? A normal person would have just laughed it off. Said I appreciate that but I’m not into guys. That would have been the end of it.
davidjohng
Why is it so bad to be gay? That’s what your statement implies and is inline with what the culture thought (and still does) about the sanctity of male heterosexuality. And that homosexuality is just so terrible and stigmatized that you should be killed for it? And a lot of gay men still are. This is the basis of so much “gay bashing” and homophobia around the world. We may have legal rights in some countries but the stigma is still there. Just substitute a women saying she has a crush on a gay man or another women or a str8 man saying he has a crush on a lesbian or str8 women.
Don’t blame the gay man, blame that insecure asshole who was so “humiliated” because he was buying into a sick culture idea of what a man is supposed to be. As someone commented here a normal and appropriate response would have been to just say “that’s not who I am” and treat it as a joke, the same response that the other imagined scenarios with heterosexuals would have gotten,
JungleBoi
You’re more twisted than a pretzel. He asked for the guy to like him not top be murdered in cold blood.
IAmUp4It
So I guess you believe if a woman wears a mini skirt in front of a man she’s asking to be raped? NOBODY deserves their life to be violently ended over such an incident! Schmitz committed pre-meditated first-degree murder and should be in prison for the rest of his natural life! Schmitz asked for what happened to him! Something tells me, Schmitz was someone’s bitch in prison and developed a taste for getting his fat ass pounded on the regular and is now on Grindr nightly seeking the D!
Cam
So you think somebody deserved to be murdered for that? Seriously? Seek help.
man5996853
Aww. The troll is hungry.
Bob LaBlah
There are two things that I paid attention to when Schmitz was introduced on Jones’ talk show. First, when Amadure tries to hug Schmitz not only is it perfectly clearly Schmitz’ body language indicates he does not want to be embraced by him but just how much more bigger he is over Schmitz. He clearly pulls Schmitz into him and had to have seen the kid resented it. Secondly every other word that came out of Amadures mouth before and after Schmitz entered the stage had sexual overtones that Schmitz never once gave a response that indicated what he was saying was ok with him. He laughed it off trying to be a good sport but I too saw the “if only I had a baseball bat” expression building up on his face.
I don’t know if any of you have ever been in a schoolyard fight but if you have and the other kid is not only bigger but he clear can’t understand the word no you two are going to fight again if he keeps persisting on ignoring the word no. The kid had just gotten embarrassed on national television by a guy thirty pounds heavier than he is and to make matters even worse he decided to give the kids feelings the middle finger once again by writing him this note that had a strong suggestion as to who was suppose to be the bottom. What next, a public butt grab in front of the kids mother and father or other family members? He pushed that kid one time too many and that was the end result, murder. Were I on that jury Schmitz would have been sentenced to time served and that would have been the end of it. I find it a shame he didn’t go after Jenny. She was hellbent to instigate an affair that wasn’t there and knew she was up the creek in that courtroom.
dinard38
@Bob LaBlah WOW!! Are you effing serious?? There is NO justification for Schmitz killing Amadure. All that gobbledygook you wrote as justification is straight up bull$hit. Yes, Schmitz was humiliated, and I do blame Amadure and the Jenny Jones show for blindsiding him on national TV. That was not right, but in no way in this universe is that a valid excuse for pre-meditated murder.
Schmitz could have walked off stage once he learned why he was there. He could have told Amadure that he humiliated him and didn’t want to be friends with him anymore and be done with it. Instead he emptied out his savings account to buy a shotgun and killed Amadure. Pre-meditated murder. His a$$ should still be in prison, and to hear you say that if you were on the jury you would have voted to give him time served is just disturbing.
Vince
dinard38
Agreed but the show’s premise was about secret admirers. If I show up there’s no promise who it’s going to be or even if it’s male or female. They don’t owe the dipshit anything other than airfare and hotel.
Bob LaBlah
@Dinard38..”That was not right, but in no way in this universe is that a valid excuse for pre-meditated murder.”
Maybe you live in that universe where men walk around with two things dangling off of their chest thanks to the help of drugs and believe they are women despite a male organ still dangling between their legs but the universe I live in is the one when a man tells you to get and stay the hell out of his face he tends not to mean when you get ready and there is a ultimate price to pay if the warning is not adhered to. Amadure brought this upon himself and ruined a young kids life by not knowing when to leave well enough alone. Again, I stand with the kids actions and think time served would have been enough for a kid that had never been in trouble with the law.
Den
First of all, actual psychiatrists and psychologists (who have more intelligence than you are capable of imagining even exists) accept the existence of gender dysphoria as a real thing and sex change as an actual response.
Second, you should look up Dunning–Kruger effect, a syndrome you clearly suffer from. As do a surprising number of regressive folks.
Finally, while revealing a crush to a heterosexual man on nationwide TV is certainly foolish, only a sociopath would think it was deserving of death. If you have other people in your life who think of you as a friend, I feel very, very sorry for them as you obviously do not value any life outside of your own.
sonic_source
There are a LOT of people who have angered me, embarrassed me, etc. so by your logic, it’s OK for me to go out and execute them?
Chrisk
Bob LaBlah
Way to go Bob. Say something incredibly stupid and then double down on it by saying how sorry you are for the killer.
You got some real psychological issues. Total dipshit.
John
I guess this is why so much “reality” tv is now scripted.
trsxyz
I won’t be watching this. I remember when this actually occurred. It was far too upsetting and disturbing that someone actually died as a result of this stunt.
Doug
I agree that Jenny Jones was responsible for this. If you watch the video, she’s doing everything she can to exploit both men. Schmitz is clearly humiliated, and she’s rubbing his face in it with her questions. Amadure can’t take Schmitz’s reaction seriously, thinks it’s amusing and won’t hear the word “no.” I’d like to think that in 2020 we’ve reached a point in society where a straight man can take a gay man’s attraction to him in stride and see it as a compliment rather than something to be ashamed of. It’s pretty pathetic that this ended up in a murder and shows just how homophobic society was in the 90’s.
Aries3dc
I never understood what Schmitz was so ashamed and humiliated about. This person was his friend! And he says he wasn’t gay and didn’t share his friend’s feelings. So, exactly what is shameful about that? He can’t possibly believe that others will think differently about him because a man happens to be attracted to him. And it seems highly unlikely that someone of his mindset would have gay friends at all. It just made no sense. He should have been imprisoned for life.
Vince
You’re right. A normal hetersexual man would not react that violently. Clearly he has issues with his own sexuality. in his world having that secret exposed would be the worst thing ever.
ScottOnEarth
This is heartbreaking in every way. The only person to blame for the murder is the worthless loser who pulled the trigger. Jenny Jones was just the typical, sensationalist talk show host vying for ratings in a crowded market. Certainly no one thought such a tacky, silly show would lead to the senseless, devastating murder of someone who happened to have a crush on someone. I can’t believe that useless piece of shit was released in 2017. RIP, Scott Amedure.
Manchester
Totally agree with you on this one!
lykeitiz
Playwright Ronnie Larsen has a play “loosely based” on this. It’s called “Sleeping With Straight Men” and it is excellent.
Rock-N-RollHS
Ah, the irony. Last I heard, Netflix is part of the media. And what does Qty get for plugging the trailer. No clean hands here.
Deandre00
I remember being a kid when this happened and it left a huge mark on me, that is there to this day. From that moment if I ever had a crush on a guy who was straight I bowed to never tell them, and to just let those feelings die out. I was Too afraid something like this would happen to me. More people Need to know about this, I’m from Detroit and this was everywhere on the local
News back then.
Manchester
I want to thank everyone on this comment thread tonight! This is the first time in I don’t remember when, where everyone had thoughtful and honest responses, however, you may or may not agree with their comment. It was a pleasure reading everyone’s thoughts on this subject.