We are thrilled to announce that client Michael E. Amick has been freed from custody after 8 years in jail or prison. His trial started on November 28, 2016 and following a three and a half day jury trial, a Butler County jury found Mike not guilty of First Degree Murder and Second Degree Arson. He was initially charged on December 5, 2008 and his case first went to trial in June, 2011 with Dee Wampler as his lead attorney. He was convicted of Second Degree Murder and Second Degree Arson. His conviction was later reversed on appeal by the Missouri Supreme Court based on an error that the court made during jury deliberations, which should have a required a mistrial. Once the case was reversed and sent back to state court, Mr. Amick’s family hired Adam Woody as his attorney. This week, a Butler County jury of 7 men and 5 women found him not guilty of both counts after approximately three hours of deliberation. One juror explained that the initial vote was 11-1 for not guilty, and that those 11 were ready to announce a not guilty verdict within 10 minutes. However, one juror wanted to discuss the facts further.
This case has garnered state and national attention. There has been a strong “Michael Amick is Innocent” presence on facebook, started by his family who knew he was innocent and fought for his freedom from day one.
Following his acquittal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published the following article titled, Man Acquitted After 8 Years Behind Bars.
The Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri also did an article. See that here.
We are proud to see what our hard work and dedication to our clients can do. The system works when the attorneys within it work hard for their clients. We are thrilled for Michael and his family. He has a wife and three young children, ages 11, 9, and 8. They were reunited with their father after 8 years away from him. Mike is 40 years old and has a lot of years of freedom ahead of him. He is excited to see what the next chapter will bring, as are we.