DETROIT — A Michigan appeals court has overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of supporting a conspiracy to abduct Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
The appeals court unanimously reversed Joe Morrison’s conviction on Tuesday, determining that kidnapping cannot serve as the foundational violent crime needed to support charges under Michigan’s anti-terrorism statute. Morrison had been found guilty of providing material support for terrorism along with additional charges.
The 32-year-old Morrison has remained incarcerated since 2022. He initially received a minimum 10-year sentence for three offenses, though this was later shortened to six years.
The ruling drew sharp criticism from State Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, who denounced the decision as “completely and irredeemably nonsensical, outrageous and irresponsible.” Nessel announced plans to appeal the matter to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Morrison was tried alongside Pete Musico and Paul Bellar, though none of the three faced accusations of directly participating in the kidnapping conspiracy. Instead, they belonged to a militia organization that conducted training exercises with Adam Fox, a central conspirator currently serving 16 years in federal prison after his conviction.
Gov. Whitmer, a Democrat, was never injured in the plot. Federal agents and informants had infiltrated Fox’s organization for several months before authorities arrested 14 individuals in October 2020, dismantling the scheme.
Both Musico and Bellar received guilty verdicts in the same Jackson County trial as Morrison. Their attorneys plan to challenge those convictions before a separate appeals panel in July.
The broader investigation yielded varying outcomes for state and federal prosecutors. Five of the 14 defendants were cleared at trial, and Morrison’s overturned conviction adds to the mixed results.
