Court throws out conviction of man accused of secondary role in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
The panel said kidnapping is not a violent felony under Michigan law and sent the case back for a new trial.
- On Tuesday, The Michigan Court vacated the conviction of Joseph Morrison, a Jackson County man found guilty of providing material support to a 2020 plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
- The three-judge appellate panel ruled that kidnapping is not a "violent felony" under Michigan law, citing a 2006 amendment that removed references to "forcibly or secretly" confining someone.
- Attorney General Dana Nessel called the decision "completely and irredeemably nonsensical, outrageous and irresponsible," and announced plans to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court.
- Whitmer's chief of staff, JoAnne Huls, warned the ruling will invite "a culture of fear and violence in Michigan and the country," though the Democrat was never physically harmed.
- This ruling follows mixed legal results for prosecutors in the broader 14-man investigation; lawyers for co-defendants Pete Musico and Paul Bellar will seek to overturn their convictions in July.
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Cleveland Jewish News
Jewish News SyndicateMichigan appeals court overturns conviction tied to Whitmer kidnap plot
A unanimous ruling found that kidnapping does not qualify as a “violent felony” under Michigan’s anti-terrorism law, ordering a new trial for Wolverine Watchmen member Joseph Morrison.
Michigan Man’s Conviction Overturned in Relation to Whitmer Kidnapping Plot
Photo: Ryan Garza ~ USA TODAY NETWORK JACKSON, MI ~ The conviction of a man serving time in connection with a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was overturned Tuesday. The Michigan Court of Appeals unanimously reversed the 2022 conviction of Joseph Morrison, who was serving time in prison for providing material support to a gang and committing or attempting to commit a felony. He was a member of the Wolverine Watchmen militia, whose members …
Appeal planned after court overturns conviction of man jailed in Whitmer kidnapping plot
Getty ImagesThe Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday unanimously overturned the conviction of Joseph Morrison, who was convicted in 2022 of providing material support for terrorist acts, gang membership, and felony firearm for his role in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. Morrison was convicted alongside other members of the right-wing militia group Wolverine Watchmen. However, according to …
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