TALLAHASSEE -- A man convicted in the 1987 murder of his wife gets a parole hearing Wednesday (May 3rd) in Tallahassee.
Leo Schofield was convicted in 1989 and has been serving a life sentence in the killing of his wife Michelle, who was just 18 at the time. Schofield was convicted partly on the strength of a neighbor's testimony. The witness claimed she heard the couple argue frequently and saw Schofield drag something heavy out of their home.
Since his last hearing in 2020, Leo Schofield's case has gotten renewed attention because of a podcast. "Bone Valley," named for the area where Michelle Scofield's remains were found, has drawn more than seven million listeners.
The podcast was co-created by Gilbert King, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, got involved after a now-retired Charlotte County circuit judge, Scott Cupp, met him at a conference and told him about the case. King's research partner on the podcast team is Kelcey Decker.
When Michelle Schofield's car was found, parked along Highway 33 north of Lakeland, detectives found fingerprints that weren't identified until 2004. They belonged to Jeremy Scott, who's confessed to killing Schofield. King believes Scott is the real killer. Prosecutors regard Scott as unreliable.
King plans to attend the hearing Wednesday at 9 a.m. Eastern, where Cupp will be speaking on Schofield's behalf. The State Attorney's Office for Polk County stands by the conviction and plans to have a representative at the hearing. That office is expected to argue that Schofield isn't eligible for parole because he hasn't shown remorse, which would include admitting to the murder.
Listen to an interview with King on our Beyond the News podcast, and follow a link to Bone Valley, below.
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