New evidence may prove Bay area man innocent of murder

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

Leo Schofield was accused of murdering his wife in Polk County 19 years ago. (Slideshow)

ST. PETERSBURG (Bay News 9) -- In a story first reported by Bay New 9's partner, the St. Petersburg Times, they recently went inside the Hardee Correctional Institute to interview Leo Schofield, who took a Times reporter back 20 years to the last time he talked to his wife, Michelle Schofield.

"She said I love you, hung up the phone and I never heard from her again," Schofield said.

Schofield said his wife was calling to let him know she would be home late.

"When it gets to be after 11, you know it's been quite a while and I'm starting to worry," Schofield said. "'Cause now I know she called and I know she knows where we're at and she should have been there. I expected her home in 15 minutes. How much time needs to go by before you start getting panicky?"

Doubt

Missing posters went up. Police eventually found the 18-year old woman's body in a Polk County canal. She had been murdered.

Without any forensic evidence linking Schofield to the crime, a jury convicted him of murdering his wife. Many years later Don Morris, a deputy art director for the Times, met Schofield while doing ministry work at the prison and started investigating Schofield's case.

"This is serious; this is life and death and it involves justice," Morris said.

Along with fellow Times reporter Meg Laughlin, Morris poured over 13 volumes of court transcripts. He said they quickly realized the case appeared flawed, and that a fingerprint from the crime scene matched that of Jeremy Scott, who's serving a life sentence for another murder in that area at the time.

Michelle Schofield was 18 at the time of her death.

"This story in terms of an overall context of what it could ultimately do for someone is definitely way beyond anything I've done as a journalist here at the Times," Morris said.

And though Schofield's been in prison 19 years, he has not lost his faith.

"This is one grace I appreciate God for, her very last words were I love you," Schofield said.

Read more about this story in this morning's edition of the Times. Laughlin's and Morris' report is titled 'Doubt'.

Schofield has an important court hearing next month where a Polk County judge could order a new trial.