Bone Valley, Season 1, Episode 1: “God Help Us”

Date: September 21, 2022
Host: Gilbert King (Lava for Good Podcasts)
Theme: The wrongful conviction of Leo Schofield in his wife Michelle’s 1987 murder, and the failures of the Florida justice system.

Overview

In this gripping first episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King introduces listeners to the tragic murder of Michelle Schofield and the controversial conviction of her husband, Leo. Through interviews, archival audio, and narrative storytelling, King retraces the early days of the case—from Leo and Michelle’s turbulent young romance, to the night Michelle goes missing, to the botched investigation that would ultimately upend Leo’s life.

Judge Scott Cupp—illicitly and at great personal risk—champions Leo’s fight for exoneration, imploring King to investigate the full story and expose errors within Florida’s notorious justice system. The episode vividly reconstructs the night of Michelle’s disappearance, centering Leo’s voice and the voices of friends and family as the search unfolds.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Judge Scott Cupp’s Unlikely Advocacy

• [02:13] Judge Scott Cupp, a sitting Florida judge, breaks judicial protocol by openly vouching for Leo’s innocence and encouraging King to investigate.
  • Quote:
    • Judge Scott Cupp: “If I don’t do it, who the fuck’s gonna do it?” (02:13)
  • Insight: Cupp’s willingness to risk his position signals the extraordinary doubts over Leo’s conviction and the broader problem of wrongful convictions in Florida.

2. The Genesis of the Leo Schofield Case

• [05:18] The story starts when Judge Cupp passes King a card with Leo’s details, describing him as “not just wrongly convicted, [but] an innocent man.”
• King admits to skepticism, but Judge Cupp’s insistence and the trial transcripts draw him in.
  • Quote:
    • Judge Scott Cupp: “Read the transcripts because that’s what hooked me and that’s what should hook everyone.” (07:42)

3. Florida’s Dark History With Wrongful Convictions

• [09:49] King provides context about Florida’s high error rate in capital cases: for every three people executed since 1976, one person has been exonerated.
  • Quote:
    • Gilbert King: “For every three people executed in Florida, one person has been found innocent and released from death row.” (09:49)

4. Meeting Leo—Inside the Prison Walls

• [12:40] King and his research assistant, Kelsey Decker, visit Leo in prison.
• Kelsey describes the nerves and the intimidating security process.
• Leo is direct and clear-eyed:
  • Quote:
    • Leo Schofield: “This is the story. It is what it is. You believe it or don’t believe it, it’s up to you… I’m an innocent man. That truth transcends people’s disbelief.” (15:43)

5. Leo and Michelle’s Backgrounds and Relationship

• [16:03–30:21] King and Kelsey reconstruct Leo and Michelle’s complicated youth in Polk County, Florida.
  • Leo, a high school dropout and aspiring musician, meets Michelle through mutual friends.
  • Michelle’s unstable childhood—her parents’ divorce, her mother’s accident, and time spent in a children’s home—shapes her worldview.
  • Despite fights about Leo’s possessiveness, the two marry in a church wedding organized by their faith community.
  • The wedding day was filled with hope and youthful optimism.
  • Quote:
    • Leo Schofield: “It was one of the best days of my entire life.” (30:21)
  • Only six months later, Michelle would be dead.

6. The Night Michelle Disappears

• [33:20–44:45] The episode meticulously details February 24, 1987—the last night Leo sees Michelle.
  • Leo is waiting for Michelle to pick him up after work. She phones to say she’ll come by, but never arrives.
• Leo and his friends initially think she’s at a friend’s house; as hours pass, anxiety grows.
  • Leo makes calls to hospitals and the Sheriff’s Office, growing more frantic.
  • Quote:
    • Leo Schofield (to dispatcher): “She’s four and a half hours late coming home… I’m really worried about her. I’d like to find out something.” (37:24)
• By early morning, Leo, his family, and Michelle’s father begin searching the area. Leo’s fear turns to dread.

7. Police Response and Community Search

• [47:08] Leo and his father meet Officer Richard Katchadorian to file a missing person report. The officer finds Leo’s inability to recall Michelle’s birth year suspicious.
  • Quote:
    • Officer Katchadorian: “Why can’t your son answer those questions?... Just that question, it was like a cold knife blade in me.” (49:11)
• Police skepticism and procedural confusion frustrate Leo and his family, while friends and neighbors make flyers and comb ditches in search of Michelle.

8. The Discovery of the Mazda

• [54:04] After 48 hours, Michelle and Leo’s Mazda is found abandoned on the interstate.
  • The car, broken down and with signs of disturbance, contains evidence: a bottle smeared with blood and, crucially, fingerprints—one set would remain unidentified for 17 years.
  • The episode ends with the growing realization that Michelle is likely dead and Leo, unfairly, is coming under suspicion.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Judge Scott Cupp’s risk:

  • “I’m probably way over my skis right now… but if I don’t do it, who the fuck’s gonna do it?” — Judge Scott Cupp (02:13)

• On Leo’s innocence:

  • “This guy is innocent. God help us if we can’t get this right.” — Judge Scott Cupp (09:20)

• Leo’s candor:

  • “I was way too controlling, way too possessive, way too insecure. But I was young and didn’t have a lot to think with.” — Leo Schofield (25:55)

• Emotional Crisis:

  • “And in that moment… I started to cry in the rain because I didn’t know what to do. I knew then my wife’s in trouble and I don’t have any way to help her. Not a damn thing.” — Leo Schofield (43:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:13 — Judge Scott Cupp breaks protocol to advocate for Leo
• 07:00 — Judge Cupp urges King to read the trial transcripts
• 09:49 — Florida’s wrongful conviction statistics
• 12:40 — First prison interview with Leo
• 16:03 — Leo’s arrival in Polk County, meeting Michelle
• 22:44 — Michelle’s childhood and fractured family
• 25:49 — Leo reflects on possessiveness; decision to get married
• 30:21 — Leo and Michelle’s wedding
• 33:20 — The night Michelle disappears; timeline of events
• 37:19 — Leo calls the sheriff’s office
• 41:51 — Leo’s frustration with sheriff’s deputies
• 47:08 — Police file missing person’s report, Officer Katchadorian’s suspicion
• 54:04 — The discovery of the abandoned Mazda and pivotal evidence

Episode Tone

• Urgent, emotional, methodical, and deeply personal.
  King uses a careful blend of empathy and investigative rigor, letting Leo’s and Michelle’s voices drive the narrative. The story is set against the broader, sobering backdrop of wrongful convictions in Florida.

Final Thoughts

Episode 1 of Bone Valley sets the stage for a meticulous, human investigation into a wrongful conviction. The stakes are clear, with real people’s lives and justice in the balance. King, with the help of Judge Cupp and first-hand accounts from Leo, delivers a story that is not only about the Schofield case, but about profound faults in the American legal system—a story of grief, error, and the dogged pursuit of truth.

Next Episode: The investigation deepens as new suspects and overlooked evidence come to light, challenging the official narrative and raising the stakes for Leo’s fight to prove his innocence.