It was the case of a man named Leo Schofield. He had spent over three decades in prison serving a life sentence for killing his wife. The big problem was that he didn’t do it. The judge who contacted King had gotten involved with the case and had tried to help Schofield out but to no avail.
In his latest book “Bone Valley - a True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida” the author delves into that situation and explains how this travesty occurred and why it remained uncorrected. In 1987 Schofield was convicted by a jury of killing his eighteen-year-old wife.
King usually writes about older cases in which all the witnesses are long dead. With this one he was able to conduct research that included speaking to living witnesses as well as the man who was convicted, Leo Schofield. As he dug deeper he learned who the actual perpetrator of the murder was and was able to interview him, too.
King discovered that the prosecutor who put Schofield on trial was willing to concoct a case against the defendant that would probably result in an execution sentence. This prosecutor was proud of the number of death penalty convictions he had won over the years, he wore a tie clip with a miniature electric chair.
During the trial he brought in one witness after another to testify that Schofield had a bad temper and that they had overheard the young couple having screaming matches at the trailer park where they lived. Schofield’s lawyer could have prevented most of those witnesses from testifying but he wasn’t doing his job very well.
Ultimately a lone juror made a difference, once convicted the other jurors voted for the death penalty while she did not, thus his life sentence. In another Florida prison the real killer was incarcerated for another murder. King and his devoted assistant eventually interviewed the actual killer and he admitted he had done it.
But Schofield was still in prison. Finally, he got released. Author and this innocent victim will be appearing soon in Dayton.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors 7 a.m. every Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sundays on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Another Evening for Justice-a fundraiser for the Ohio Innocence Project featuring Leo Schofield, Jr. and Gilbert King
Where: The Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton
When: 7 p.m. April 22
How: tickets daytonlive.org/events/justice/
About the Author