In 1987, 18-year-old Michelle Schofield was found dead in a phosphate pit in Florida. Two years later, her husband, Leo Schofield, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years after his conviction, previously unidentified fingerprints found in Michelle’s car were matched to Jeremy Scott—a violent teenager who lived nearby.  Host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy is responsible for the murder of Michelle Schofield as well as a string of additional murders. But when Gilbert coaxes a confession out of Jeremy, the State of Florida refuses to believe him.  Gilbert King digs deeper, uncovering chilling details of Jeremy’s past crimes and the darkness he’s carried with him. As their unlikely connection grows, Gilbert helps Jeremy confront the painful truths of his violent history while navigating the fractured relationship between Jeremy and the son he never knew. With new revelations and a search for redemption, Bone Valley takes unexpected turns—bringing haunting questions of justice, forgiveness, and the possibility of change. Gilbert 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 is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> 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 Schofield, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years after his conviction, previously unidentified fingerprints found in Michelle’s car were matched to Jeremy Scott—a violent teenager who lived nearby. Host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy is responsible for the murder of Michelle Schofield as well as a string of additional murders. But when Gilbert coaxes a confession out of Jeremy, the State of Florida refuses to believe him. Gilbert King digs deeper, uncovering chilling details of Jeremy’s past crimes and the darkness he’s carried with him. As their unlikely connection grows, Gilbert helps Jeremy confront the painful truths of his violent history while navigating the fractured relationship between Jeremy and the son he never knew. With new revelations and a search for redemption, Bone Valley takes unexpected turns—bringing haunting questions of justice, forgiveness, and the possibility of change. Gilbert 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 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 Schofield, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years after his conviction, previously unidentified fingerprints found in Michelle’s car were matched to Jeremy Scott—a violent teenager who lived nearby.&nbsp; Host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy is responsible for the murder of Michelle Schofield as well as a string of additional murders. But when Gilbert coaxes a confession out of Jeremy, the State of Florida refuses to believe him.&nbsp; Gilbert King digs deeper, uncovering chilling details of Jeremy’s past crimes and the darkness he’s carried with him. As their unlikely connection grows, Gilbert helps Jeremy confront the painful truths of his violent history while navigating the fractured relationship between Jeremy and the son he never knew. With new revelations and a search for redemption, Bone Valley takes unexpected turns—bringing haunting questions of justice, forgiveness, and the possibility of change. Gilbert 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 is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="noopener noreferrer">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Introducing: Bone Valley - Season 1 & 2

One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least ten people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away, at a popular nightclub called Tee's Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row.
In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an ‘earwitness’ – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years.
From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an 8-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself— illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state's enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok.
Earwitness is available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes 1 week early and ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Society & Culture

Documentary

True Crime

One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least ten people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away, at a popular nightclub called Tee's Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row. In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an ‘earwitness’ – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years. From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an 8-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself— illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state's enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok. Earwitness is available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes 1 week early and ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

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Introducing: Bone Valley - Season 1 & 2

Introducing: Bone Valley - Season 1 & 2

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