Michigan Court of Appeals Overturns Conviction in 2020 Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Case
The Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned Joseph Morrison's conviction in connection with the 2020 plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, ruling 3-0 that kidnapping does not qualify as an underlying violent felony under the state's terrorism law. Morrison was one of three men accused of holding gun drills with the plot's leaders Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The ruling is significant because it represents another legal setback for prosecutors in the case, with five of 14 charged men now acquitted or having convictions overturned.
The Michigan Court of Appeals overturned Joseph Morrison's 2022 conviction on Tuesday in a 3-0 decision, finding that kidnapping does not constitute a violent felony under Michigan's terrorism statute. Morrison had been found guilty of providing material support for a terroristic act as a member of the Wolverine Watchmen militia group. He was accused alongside Pete Musico and Paul Bellar of conducting gun drills in Jackson County with Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., the plot's primary organizers, who received 16-year sentences. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel strongly criticized the ruling, calling it "completely and irredeemably nonsensical" and stating the evidence proved a "considered and coordinated plan" to kidnap and murder the governor. The 2020 plot was disrupted by the FBI in October with 14 arrests; the investigation has produced mixed prosecutorial results, with nine convictions and five acquittals or overturned convictions among the defendants.
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- CBS NewsCenter
Michigan court overturns man's conviction in plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer
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