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.

In April 1989, a drive-by shooting in San Francisco, CA, left at least 11 people injured, and 2 people dead. Despite the lack of physical or forensic evidence, Caramad Conley was convicted of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, two counts of first degree murder, and eleven counts of attempted murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on the strength of one man’s testimony, Clifford Polk. 

Earlonne is a podcaster and author, best known for co-hosting and co-founding the podcast Ear Hustle. Woods helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. In November 2018, Earlonne’s sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. In 2020, he and his Ear Hustle co-hosts were finalists for a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.

After Caramad's exoneration, and while Earlonne was still serving his sentence at San Quentin, Caramad visited the prison and he and Earlonne met in the media center. They began talking, became friends, and remained close since Earlonne's release.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.caramadc.com/

This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers.

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 9th, 1990 at 12:10am, police responded to shots being fired at a housing project in Brooklyn, New York. They ended up arresting 23 year old Terence Rice, a man who lived next door to the scene and who was making a call at a payphone in the midst of the chaos. They claimed that Terence was shooting at them, as well as at other things and people, from an apartment window two stories up. Contrary to the policemen’s testimonies, there is no evidence that this shootout actually took place – Terence did not have a weapon on him, officers could not agree on which weapon the alleged shooter was using, and there were no bullet marks or shell casings anywhere near the window from which the shots were supposedly fired. Despite several witnesses willing to corroborate his alibi, Terence was convicted for attempted murder and sentenced to 75 years in prison. 

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-reversal-of-the-unjust-conviction-of-terence-rice-and-order-a-fair-trial-immediately

Wrongful Conviction 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.

On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson, an acclaimed novelist and one-time mayoral candidate, found his wife Kathleen dead at the bottom of their staircase in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Primarily due to the junk science of blood splatter analysis, Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

David and Sonya are a criminal defense duo who fight for victims of injustice, misconduct and faults of the system. Their podcast, Abuse of Power, dissects how law enforcement and the justice system have failed those they are meant to protect.

David was Michael's first lawyer on the case involving the death of his wife, and he still is to this day. David notably appeared in the documentary, The Staircase, as Michael's lawyer. Sonya covered the case as a television reporter in Raleigh-Durham, and has been following the story since the beginning. David and Sonya have supported and advocated for Michael throughout his entire wrongful conviction experience. This episode is one of Michael’s very few recent press appearances, and Wrongful Conviction is the first ever podcast to have Michael Peterson as a guest.

To learn more about the junk science of blood splatter analysis: 

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/147-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-bloodstain-pattern-evidence/

To listen to the Abuse of Power podcast, visit:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Abuse-of-Power-with-David-Rudolf-and-Sonya-Pfeiffer-Podcast/B09MJLWHKS

This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers.

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 10, 2002, Victor Vulcain was shot and killed in broad daylight in front of 201 Linden Blvd. Brooklyn, NY. There were several witnesses, each of whom provided a version of events to police that stood in conflict with the other witnesses; not even their descriptions of the shooter matched. No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no DNA evidence connected Gary to the murder. Yet and still, Gary was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. 

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-gary-benloss

https://www.freegarybenloss.com/

Wrongful Conviction 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.

On June 7, 1988, joggers discovered the body of 35 year old Robert Mejia on a running trail in the woods behind his apartment complex in Pontiac, MI. Mejia had been stabbed to death. Primarily due to the junk science of bite mark evidence, Gilbert Poole was convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

With 20 years of expertise in criminal justice, Chris Fabricant leads the Innocence Project’s Strategic Litigation Department as the Joseph Flom Special Counsel and Director of Strategic Litigation. His knowledge of forensic sciences drives his work’s focus on the intersection of science, law reform and social justice. 

Chris learned about Gilbert's case when he and Marla Mitchell-Cichon, Gilbert's attorney, discussed the bite mark junk science that sent him to prison. Then, at the 2022 Innocence Network Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Chris listened to Gilbert speak about his case and experience.

To learn more about the junk science of bite mark evidence: https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/145-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-bite-mark-evidence/

http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/junk-science/

To get involved, visit:

https://www.cooley.edu/alumni/help-our-students?hsCtaTracking=4ff403ba-26dd-4fdf-80fe-1990814d3858%7C959d4c89-aa90-400a-a2a7-6c2bc608119f 

This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers.

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On February 6, 1996, three men dressed in black fled in a white car after robbing and murdering George Bryant and Oscar Bridges at Bryant’s home in Kansas City, MO. Bryant’s 4 year old daughter was present and survived unharmed. Bryant’s daughter told police she was watching TV when men came to the house in a white car. Her father let them in and while they were in the kitchen, she heard a gunshot. She said her dad fell and tried to run but was shot again. Police received numerous anonymous calls that named 10 men as suspects, including Ricky Kidd. Detectives conducted a questionable interview of the 4 year old girl where she identified Kidd as one of the killers after some strong suggestions were made to the impressionable little girl. Ricky was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://linktr.ee/IAR

Wrongful Conviction 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.