Bone Valley

Leo Schofield’s parole hearing in Tallahassee, FL, April 17th, 2024 with reporting from Gilbert King and Kelsey Decker. Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gilbert and Kelsey check in with Leo Schofield, who has spent the last 7 months at the Corrections Transition Program at Everglades Correctional Institution, where he’s been preparing for life on the outside after more than 35 years of incarceration.  Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On July 16, 1949, 17-year-old Norma Padgett and her estranged husband, Willie Padgett, reported to police that they had been attacked by four black men in Lake County, FL, with Norma claiming that the men had raped her. On the same day, police arrested 16-year-old Charles Greenlee, and 22-year-olds Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin. 26-year-old Ernest Thomas was hunted into the woods and gunned down by a mob of men, as he was also blamed for the attack. Despite weak evidence and testimonies tainted by racism, the remaining three were convicted and faced severe sentences, including life imprisonment and death. Jason is joined by Gilbert King, host of Bone Valley and Pulitzer-prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove which chronicles the story of the Groveland Four, as they came to be known, and future United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall’s efforts to defend them in court. To learn more, visit:http://www.gilbertking.com/devil-in-the-grove/ Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leo Schofield’s parole hearing is held in Tallahassee, FL on May 3rd, 2023, before the Florida Commission on Offender Review. In the lead up to the hearing, Gilbert and Kelsey check in with Scott Cupp and Crissie Schofield. Following the commission’s decision, Leo’s friends, family, and supporters grapple with the outcome. And Leo processes the news. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit:  https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/ Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In preparation for the upcoming parole hearing in Tallahassee on May 3rd, Gilbert and Kelsey travel to Florida to preview what’s at stake for Leo. They visit a halfway house in Tampa, and speak to Crissie, Ashley, Jessie Saum, and Seth Miller. They also accompany Scott Cupp to meetings with Florida Senator Jonathan Martin and parole commissioners. Leo Schofield’s parole hearing will be at 9:00 am on May 3, 2023, and is open to the public:Florida Commission on Offender ReviewBetty Easley Conference Center4075 Esplanade Way, Room #152Tallahassee, FL 32399 For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit: https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/ Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leo shares a message for listeners of Bone Valley about the impact of the podcast on his life, and his hopes for freedom. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit: https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/  Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gilbert and Kelsey drive to Hardee Correctional Institution with Judge Scott Cupp, who hasn’t seen Leo in nearly a decade. Judge Cupp has arranged a visit with his former client, because he has something important that he wants to share—a personal decision he’s made—and he’s hoping to receive Leo’s blessing. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit: https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/  Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer prize winning host of Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng sits down for a Q&A with Gilbert King and Kelsey Decker from the new podcast Bone Valley. Listen in as Gilbert and Kelsey share with Maggie the answers to many questions from their listeners and reveal some of the details that went into creating one of the finest podcasts of the year. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit: https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/ Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 9 of 9 Gilbert and Kelsey travel to the Florida prison where they will interview Jeremy Scott. Jeremy tells them about his interactions with prosecutor John Aguero, his involvement in a 1987 unsolved homicide, his encounter with Michelle Schofield, and how he copes with the violence of his past. Gilbert visits Leo Schofield one last time, and reflects on this tragic injustice. For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E9 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 8 of 9 Leo Schofield faces more legal setbacks. Gilbert and Kelsey attend Leo’s latest hearings: one before an appellate court, and one before the parole board. In the aftermath, Gilbert writes a letter to Jeremy Scott. Soon, Jeremy begins sending detailed letters, and sharing more and more information about his crimes. Gilbert and Kelsey make arrangements to interview Jeremy in person.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E8 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 7 of 9 Leo Schofield grapples with a devastating legal decision, and the intensity of his feelings towards Jeremy Scott. But he soon learns that Jeremy has more to say. Leo is granted another hearing, and Jeremy testifies once again. This time, he tells a different story.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E7 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 6 of 9 Jeremy Scott’s ex-girlfriend reveals some incriminating information about his life in the late-1980s, leading Gilbert and Kelsey to investigate Jeremy’s potential links to another crime in a neighboring county. Leo Schofield is granted an evidentiary hearing to determine whether he should receive a new trial. Jeremy is called to testify at the hearing, and he and Leo come face-to-face for the first time beneath the Polk County courthouse. For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E6 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 5 of 9 Gilbert and Kelsey do a deep dive investigation into Jeremy Scott. By speaking to people who were close to Jeremy at the time, a picture emerges of an impulsive and troubled teenager who was prone to violence. When investigators confront Jeremy about the newly identified fingerprints, he explains that he was in Michelle’s car to steal stereo equipment. The State believes Jeremy, and they close their investigation.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E5 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 4 of 9 Gilbert and Kelsey analyze the State’s case against Leo Schofield and locate a juror who admits she didn’t believe that Leo was guilty. As the years pass, Leo’s appellate attempts fail, and he falls in love with social worker Crissie Carter who works in the prison. Crissie begins investigating Leo’s case on her own, and recruits a friend in law enforcement to run unidentified fingerprints from Michelle’s Mazda. There’s a match, but the fingerprints do not belong to Leo Schofield. For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: bit.ly/BVS1E4 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 3 of 9 Facing the death penalty, Leo Schofield retains renowned Polk County defense attorney Jack Edmund, who must square off against an aggressive young prosecutor, John Aguero at trial. The prosecutor builds his case around testimony from numerous witnesses who describe a volatile relationship between Leo and Michelle, and a witness who claims to have observed something suspicious on the night Michelle disappeared.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit: https://bit.ly/BVS1E3 Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 2 of 9 Leo’s friends and family search desperately for Michelle around Lakeland, Florida. Three days later, her body is found in a phosphate mining pit with 26 stab wounds. Leo is arrested, charged with first degree murder, and faces the electric chair.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit https://bit.ly/BVS1E2 To hear the full length version  of "Ducking Grady" by Stephon Girard, go to: https://youtu.be/lA6bruIZ0Ak Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapter 1 of 9 Author Gilbert King receives a message from a Florida judge who claims that there is an innocent man in prison, wrongly convicted of murdering his wife back in 1987. King and researcher Kelsey Decker meet Leo Schofield in prison and learn about the disappearance of 18 year-old Michelle Schofield.  For photos, images, and the full transcript of this episode visit https://bit.ly/BVS1E1  Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1987, 18-year-old Michelle Schofield was found dead in a phosphate pit in Florida. Two years later, her husband Leo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years later, previously unidentified fingerprints matched Jeremy Scott--a violent teenager who lived nearby. Jeremy has since confessed to Michelle’s murder. Yet Leo Schofield remains behind bars. In Bone Valley, a groundbreaking 9-episode podcast, host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy is responsible for a string of murders. King is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Devil in the Grove, which led to the exonerations of four innocent men.Bone Valley will be available every Wednesday beginning September 21 wherever you get your podcasts. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE PART IN OUR LISTENER SURVEY. YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP INFORM HOW WE MAKE PODCASTS IN THE FUTURE. AND YOUR COMPLETE AND CANDID ANSWERS WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO BRING YOU UNPARALLELED ACCESS AND INSIGHT INTO THE HEART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA. SO PLEASE GO TO LAVAFORGOOD.COM/SURVEYAND PARTICIPATE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.