Michigan Voids Musico And Bellar's Whitmer Plot Terror Convictions
A 2006 amendment stripped force from Michigan's kidnapping law, so kidnapping no longer counts as the terrorism act's required violent felony.
- Musico and Bellar (dockets 364567 and 364572) lose convictions for terrorism, gang felony and felony-firearm.
- 2006 PA 160 removed 'force' from Michigan's kidnapping statute, MCL 750.349, gutting the terrorism predicate.
- Same jury convicted co-defendant Joseph Morrison in 2020; his identical claim already voided his convictions first.
Why it matters: Nobody in Lansing checked whether the 2006 kidnapping rewrite would gut the terrorism statute, and now it has.
Michigan Court of Appeals opinion, People v Musico/People v Bellar, Docket Nos. 364567 & 364572 ↗ · Jul 21, 20267/21/26 · ✓ Checked✓ Check