True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

 Most of us love a good talk show. I'm one of those people who loves watching re-runs of The Jerry Springer Show and Donahue and back in the 1990s it seemed that talk shows were everywhere on TV. From Montel to Ricki Lake to Trisha, the appetite for daytime talk shows was huge. 

Of course talk shows had always been a thing but in the 1990s it just seemed to be the main era for them. If I was to list all of the chat shows from the 90s, it would take up a whole post but you get the idea. There's still some of these shows around now but not as much, it seems our appetite for trashy TV has turned more towards reality TV programmes like Real Housewives (not my cup of tea) or The Only Way Is Essex. 

In this day and age a lot of the things that were said and done in these shows would not be acceptable now. There would be outrage and complaints, they'd be taken off the air but back in the 1990s as well as the 1980s, there were still a lot of things to be learned and a lot of backwards way of thinking. 

If you get a chance, please watch some re-runs of the Donahue show on YouTube, he had some fascinating topics discussed and it was so raw and real and at times very shocking. I'll include some clips from his show at the end of this post that you may find interesting to watch. 

Anyway, a lot of these shows have since been cancelled. In the UK there was a lot of commotion over a popular show called The Jeremy Kyle Show. It was a show who's guests were mainly from poor backgrounds and they would be exploited (in my opinion) for entertainment purposes. For example you would have people who had missing teeth or had something wrong with their appearance and Jeremy (a handsome, well dressed man in a fancy suit of a certain class) would sit and shout at them and often talk all over the top of them whilst the audience laughed, cheered and spurred him on. It was like some messed up adult pantomime only this was real people's lives that were being mocked.  

I'm sure The Jeremy Kyle Show did help some people with substance misuse problems but on the whole it was just more focused on shocking the viewers. 

The reason I'm talking about this is because it is relevant to the case that I have been working on this week and you'll understand why. One of the guests on The Jeremy Kyle Show recently took his own life after being on the show. Jeremy and his team were accused of setting this man (and all previous guests) up by asking him all sorts of questions before he went on to the stage and telling him things to get him angry. This has been mentioned so many times about guests being 'psyched up' by show organisers in an attempt to spice it up for the viewers, that's why you will often see someone come out on to the stage and start shouting and swearing right off the bat because they've been backstage seething. 

Due to the man's death the show was canceled. It was a huge deal over here because despite the poor taste, The Jeremy Kyle Show was very successful over here and had millions of viewers every week. 

In this post I'm going to be talking about how these shows that a lot of us enjoyed watching (and turned the channel as soon as they were finished without a second thought) were more than just 30-50 minutes of 'entertainment', there was real people on those stages, some were paid actors but a lot of them were real people from difficult backgrounds and when the cameras stopped rolling they returned home to face the music.

There's so many tragic stories I could tell you about things that have happened to guests because of these types of chat shows but today I'm focusing on this story, one that you may have heard of before as it shocked the world back in the 90s and is still talked abut today. 

So let's get into it..,

The Jenny James Show was a popular American talk show that began in the 1990s and covered various topics from serious discussion to trashy.  By trashy I mean shows dedicated to people being pregnant and they didn't know who the father was, someone sleeping with someone's sister etc etc and another show dedicated to revealing secret crushes. 

Now, most of us would think that was fun, for people to surprise their crushes on national television, what could possibly go wrong? What's sinister about that? Of course the crush may turn the person down which would sometimes be the case when the cameras stopped rolling but nobody could have foreseen just how dangerous this actually was. You may have a crush on someone but that person might be married, have a pregnant partner at home, an abusive, paranoid partner at home?. You just don't know what can of worms you are dealing with. What might seem as a bit of fun and a laugh is right out there for all to see and if you're the crush, can you imagine the sheer horror of being put on the spot and everyone knowing about it and if you didn't feel the same way about that person, how do you respond?

This was the case with 'macho man' Jonathan Schmitz who thought he was a hit with the ladies and to be fair he was, he was a handsome young man. Image and appearance was everything to him and he was one of those guys who liked to be having a beer with the boys and watching sports. His ego grew even bigger when he was contacted by The Jenny Jones Show to come on as a quest for a surprise. 

According to Jonathan, they told him there was a woman who had a crush on him and wanted to tell him on the show. Jonathan knew a few pretty girls and had some ideas of who it could possibly be. He was nervous about the prospect of going on TV but at the same time loved all the attention so he went along. 

The Jenny Jones Show wasn't doing a live broadcast, they were doing a taping to be edited and put out later. Jonathan arrived on the day in question and sat backstage all ready to go on and see who this mystery girl was. 

What Jonathan didn't know was that another young man was already making his way to the stage by the name of Scott Amedure who Jonathan knew and the pair got on quite well and lived in the same area. 

Scott was there to reveal his crush and the audience laughed and giggled as he talked about how hot his crush was as well as some naughty, sexual fantasies he had. Jenny Jones pressed him about how he felt about this crush and Scott revealed that the person he desired was a man. Back in the 90s this was still seen as a something shocking by narrow minded people, a lot of Jenny Jones's viewers were housewives and single middle aged women who had been brought up a certain way and were closed off to a lot of the world and different cultures etc. The audience wasn't hostile towards Scott, they seemed to find it all amusing and fun. Scott seemed to be blushing and excited, almost as if he was expecting his crush to jump into his arms. He had a female friend with him too who also talked about how much Scott liked this guy. 

The trouble was, Scott's crush was Jonathan! It was a recipe for disaster. 

When Jonathan was finally brought out to the stage after being told his female admirer was about to appear, he greeted Scott and his female friend and sat down, it was all pleasant. At first, Jonathan thought that the lady sat with Scott was his admirer but soon enough Scott dropped the bombshell as Jonathan sat in his seat squirming and trying to keep the fixed smile on his face. 

Jonathan was clearly embarrassed and putting a brave, happy face on it but the whole situation was uncomfortable and everyone was looking at him. He tried to be polite to Scott but it was obvious that he didn't feel the same way and you could see that Scott was a bit disheartened by this. What was Scott thinking by doing this? Surely this could have been said and done in private? It wasn't a great situation as both of the men left the studio feeling crushed and embarrassed one way or the other. 

Word soon spread about what happened and Jonathan's macho pals at the bar thought the whole thing was hilarious. Instead of taking it lightheartedly and joining in the laughs, Jonathan became more and more angry and paranoid as the night went on. He sat and thought about what happened over and over again. 

The truth was, was that Jonathan and his friends were homophobic and saw themselves as big, tough guys. For Jonathan, this was pure humiliation and it through him into some sort of downward spiral of depression. 

Scott was determined though, not put off by what happened on the show, he mistook Jonathan's smiles and easy going manner (which was all down to feeling awkward and embarrassed) as not a total rejection, he felt that there was still a possibility for them both. 

Jonathan continued to drink and dwell on flashbacks on the audience, the laughing and Scott, he felt betrayed and humiliated. 

Just a couple of days later, Scott sent Jonathan a note and this tipped him over the edge. Jonathan went out to buy a gun and went to Scott's home where he shot him twice in the chest before calling the police and handing himself in. He told the police ''He played a very f**king bad thing on me, he took me on Jenny Jones''. Scott was just 32 years old. 

At Jonathan's trial his lawyer claimed that his depression and battle with Graves Disease had also clouded his judgement on the day that he killed Scott but he was found guilty of second-degree murder and given 25-50 years which was later overturned on appeal. He had a re-trial and got the same outcome and original sentence.

Jonathan said at his trial: ''I would like to say the word, sorry. Will they accept my sorry? I found it in my sorrow. Please accept it today because tomorrow is tomorrow'',

Jonathan spent 22 years in prison and was released in 2017 where he continues to lead a quiet life, Jonathan is now 51 years old. Scott's family are divided because they feel that because he took Scott's life he should still be behind bars. On the other side they feel some sort of sympathy for him because of how everything happened.

What are your thoughts on this story? Let me know below or elsewhere on my social media

RIP Scott. 

Further Reading & Sources: 

- Scott Amedure & Jonathan Schmitz: Article | Express

- Scott Amedure | Wikipedia

- Jonathan Schmitz | Murderpedia

- Jonathan Schmitz: Article | Daily Mail

- (Clip) The Phil Donahue Show: Nazi Doctor Josef Mengele's Son In Shocking & Uncensored Interview

- (Clip) The Phil Donahue Show: WWF Drug & Sex Scandal (1992)

- The Phil Donahue Show: Holocaust Debate

- The Phil Donahue Show: 1989 Interview With Rock Hudson's Ex Lover Marc Christian

- (Clip) The Jenny Jones Show

- News Report on Jonathan Schmitz | ABC News

- Scott Amedure | Find A Grave Memorial

Thank you for checking out my recent post, hope to see you here again next Sunday or on my socials x

When Juliet Adcock met Mark Chilman, he seemed to be the breath of fresh air that she needed after a painful divorce. The mother of three and Mark had met when he did some handyman jobs around the farm that she owned in Herefordshire, England. The pair grew close and started seeing each other on a personal level in 2013. 

At that time Juliet couldn't have been more happier, Mark seemed to be very hands on with everything and he was absolutely besotted with her. She enjoyed the attention and friends commented on how much he adored her. At first the attention and love from Mark was flattering and romantic but the more time that went on in the relationship, the more he became overbearing. Juliet just couldn't get a moment to herself without Mark being around, he had such a fixation on her that she felt smothered in the relationship but knowing how it would badly affect him if she decided to end things, she continued on with the relationship just for the sake of it but she wasn't in love with him anymore.

The couple moved to a smaller farm in near Worcester and Juliet thought that the fresh start would do them some good but things were still the same, it just wasn't working for her, she wasn't happy and she wanted some space and freedom. Mark had become too controlling and wanted to know where she was and what she was doing every minute of the day. Juliet had a heart to heart with friends and plucked up the courage to sit down and talk to Mark. When she told him it was over he refused to accept it and made all sorts of threats about taking his own life and she thought at the time that he was just being overdramatic. Mark would often play mind games and force blackmail on people if he couldn't get his own way. 

This time though, Juliet's mind was made up, she'd had enough and told him to move out. She tried to do things in as friendly a way as she possibly could but Mark was still in denial and continued to beg and plead for weeks and months afterwards.

No matter how many weeks and months rolled on, Mark (52) would not stop trying to get back into Juliet's life, he would make excuses to see her. Her friends and family nicknamed him 'The Layby Lurker' because he was always parked at a layby near her property. If anyone asked Mark why he was sitting there at silly hours of the night or morning, he would make excuses that he was just trying to get a signal on his phone but the truth was, he was stalking Juliet. 

The situation got even more extreme when he managed to break into the farmhouse and stole money and items even going so far as to steal a sweater of Juliet's along with a pair of her panties. He went through her personal drawers and cupboards and found her favourite perfume. He then took the items home and bought the same perfume that Juliet wore so he could spray it onto the stolen sweater and panties. 

He also left a noose and a message on a mirror which said ''I am sorry. Love forever, my darling. Sorry. Love Mark X''

Mark would take the perfume soaked sweater and panties to bed with him every night. 

The pair broke up before summer and as it approached the end of the year, Juliet had a new romance in her life. A man she would describe as a true gentleman and it was no secret that he wore his heart on his sleeve. The new man in Juliet's life was Neil Parkinson. Neil (66) also had two grown up children and he was carer for his 94 year old mother who had dementia. 

Neil and Juliet seemed to just click, they had so much in common and Neil made her feel safe, he was so caring and treated her lovely. They would enjoy days out together, he would help out on the farm and she'd cook him romantic dinners. the relationship seemed to be going well as both parties were happy and friends and family noticed how happy they both were together. 

The only person that wasn't happy was Mark Chilman because right there behind the scenes he was still spying on Juliet. He was determined to get her back from the moment she broke up with him and now there was this new man on the scene and Mark was furious. 

Mark was hoping that it was just a fling and would be over soon enough but as time went on and he would see the couple holding hands or laughing together, it made him more and more angry to the point that he was daydreaming about ways to get rid of Neil. 

In Mark's head despite the fact that Juliet made it clear that she wasn't interested anymore, he refused to believe that and saw the only barrier to them being together as Neil. Neil was the problem, Neil was the issue and once Neil was out of the picture then things could go back to the way they were, in his mind. 

As well as being the centre of Juliet's affections, Neil was a handsome man in his 60s with a youthfulness to him. He came from a respectable family and drove a fancy BMW car so all of that didn't help matters either. Juliet went from dating a controlling, possessive and scruffy handyman to dating a kind hearted, handsome and stylish gentleman. This drove Mark even more crazy. 

The daydreams soon became more than fantasies, Mark was determined to get rid of Neil once and for all. 

In December of 2020, it was a typical chilly evening and Juliet had just cooked Neil some dinner. The couple spent some much needed time together before Neil had to head back to his house to check on his mother with him being her carer. 

Neil left Juliet's house around 9:25pm and the pair were in a happy mood as they were looking forward to a spa break together that they were due to go on the very next day. Neil and Juliet shared a kiss before he closed the door. 

Unknown to Neil, Mark had been watching the romantic display from afar and had been waiting in the cold, waiting to strike and attack Neil. 

It's unknown at what point Mark pounced on Neil but due to the traces of Neil's blood later being found on the farmhouse gate, it is assumed that this is the point where Neil attacked him. 

Neil had been struck with an object at the back of the head so I'm assuming that Mark must have sneaked up on him as he was closing the farmhouse gate. Neil didn't have a chance to fight back, he was struck at the back of the head and passed out instantly. 

Juliet was in the house the whole time putting the dishes away and organising clothes for the next day, she had no idea of what was going on with Mark and Neil. 

Mark then transported Neil in his BMW car to a layby and placed his body in the driver seat before covering him and the vehicle with petrol and setting it on fire. From the investigation findings it was determined that from the injury that Neil suffered he would have been passed out but still alive so he would have still been breathing, Mark would have known this but still he burned the man alive. 

He fled the scene and used a mobile phone that he had bought some weeks before as part of his plan. He texted Juliet pretending to be Neil. He said ''Juliet, it's Neil, on one of my other phones...I lead a double life. I use and abuse women.''

The petrol that was used to murder Neil was actually stolen from Juliet's farm and this was also mentioned in a text. Juliet knew straight away that this was not Neil texting her. She knew it was Mark by the spelling errors and the tone of the messages, Neil would never have spoken to her like that and he had his own unique way of texting. 

As the flames on the BMW grew, members of the public saw the fire and called the police & fire service. The police arrived at the scene and obviously there was sadly nothing that could be done to help Neil. Mark had set the whole thing up to look like a suicide but failed because Juliet and everyone knew how crazed Mark actually was. It wasn't long before the police arrested him and without a shred of remorse he told the police a pack of lies claiming that he was there when Neil took his own life but that Neil had ended things himself. 

He denied any involvement in Neil's death and was acting very strange in the interviews coming out with statements such as ''Whatever, he's out of the way now'' and ''I wanted to cut Neil's C**k off with a penknife''. 

There was other ramblings during the police interviews where he claimed that he worshipped the ground that Juliet walked on and that she was his property and that he could never let her go.

Despite his endless lies and bizarre statements and claims of being innocent, the police had all of the evidence and knew the truth. Mark soon stood trial for the murder of Neil Parkinson and still claimed innocence. 

Mark's excuse for the cold hearted statements was that he was tired and just telling the police what they wanted to hear. The jury could see right through him and so did the Judge. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years.

I stumbled across this case recently and as I have written about a few of these deadly love triangles or obsessed ex partners, I thought this would be a shocking and interesting case to include here as I'm sure a lot of you would not have heard this story. 

It's an unbelievable story and at the same time a very sad one. Whilst doing my research I read a lot about Neil and he came across as a very warm and very well liked man who was the type of person who would give you the shirt off your back if he could. All he did was fall in love and he treated Juliet like a Queen and for his life to be taken like that, it's so cruel and heartbreaking. 

It seemed that Mark did get away with a lot in this case, the fact that he had been in Juilet's house, stolen items and was hanging about near her home should have been taken more seriously and the police should have been involved more. Like in the beginning Juliet must have been scared to do anything incase of provoking him somehow. 

I think of Neil and his family and how they must feel but also how Juliet must feel. Nobody could have foreseen Mark going this far and I imagine that Juliet is left with a lot of questions and possibly feelings of guilt. 

It's hard to imagine what must go through her mind, having that last memory of Neil, all smiles when he left her house, their last dinner together not knowing that he was going to die in such a sickening and horrendous way. 

Let's hope that Mark Chilman never gets out of prison.

I'm hoping that wherever Juliet and Neil's family are, that they are able to stay strong and able to live their lives as Neil would have wanted them all too. 

RIP Neil. 

Sources & Further Reading: 

- Mark Chilman Article | Sky New Report

- Mark Chilman Article | Worcester News

- Mark Chilman Article | Daily Mail

- Mark Chilman Article | Express And Star

- Mark Chilman Article | Mirror

- Mark Chilman Article | Daily Record

Thank you for reading my latest case, hopefully I will see you (on my Social Media) in the next one x