Bone Valley Season 3 – Episode: Kevin is Next, Part I

Date: September 3, 2025
Host: Bone Valley production team; narration by Glenn Washington (of Snap Judgment)
Subject: The wrongful conviction of Kevin Herrick, Leo Schofield’s best friend, and the promise to exonerate him after decades in prison.

Episode Overview

“Kevin is Next, Part I” marks the beginning of a new investigation in the Bone Valley podcast, shifting focus from Leo Schofield’s battle for exoneration (Season 1) to Kevin Herrick—his closest friend and a fellow long-term prisoner, also believed to be innocent. The episode intertwines present-day investigative work with flashbacks to Kevin’s arrest in 1989 and explores the enduring bond—and pact—between Leo and Kevin. The hosts and team introduce Amanda Lewis and Nick White, new investigators diving into the details of Kevin’s case in Largo, Florida.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing the Investigators and the Setting

• Present Day in Largo, Florida (01:55–03:29):

  • Amanda Lewis (lecturer and researcher) and Nick White (law student) are boots-on-the-ground, investigating a 1989 crime scene with the host.
  • They encounter a neighbor and reveal they are reinvestigating a decades-old sexual assault, where Kevin Herrick was convicted and has been imprisoned for 36 years.
  • “It was a sexual assault case, and then it was interrupted. Someone was kind of slash stabbed…they convicted the neighbor, who we believe had absolutely nothing to do with it.” — Narrator (03:29)

• Background on Kevin

  • Kevin Herrick, former cellmate and bandmate of Leo Schofield, is the focus; Leo and Kevin bonded over shared convictions of innocence and music within prison.
  • “He’s an incredible guy, and we’ve been best friends for almost the whole time we’ve been in prison… I don’t think Kevin’s innocent. I know he’s innocent like I know I’m innocent.” — Leo Schofield (04:54–05:10)

2. Leo and Kevin’s Pact & Musical Bond in Prison

• Formation of the Pact (06:22–07:21):

  • Leo and Kevin promised: One will not stop fighting until both are free.
  • Leo, after earning parole, walked out wearing a “Kevin is Next” shirt, making his promise public.
  • “We always knew one of us has to get out so the other can get out… if I make it out, I’m not gonna stop knocking on doors until somebody pays attention to Kevin.” — Leo Schofield (06:22)

• The Depth of Friendship

  • Leo struggles with the joy of freedom, feeling he left Kevin behind in “never ending war.”
  • “Sometimes I regret leaving him there… I left him in the heated battlefield. Every waking moment I’m trying to figure out, how are we going to get him proven innocent?” — Leo Schofield (07:58–08:51)
  • They formed a prison band, The Watchers, and support each other both legally and emotionally.

• Music Sample (10:17–10:33):

  • Original song lyrics sung by Kevin:
    • “Do you hear my madness?
      Laughter hides my fear
      Sorrow’s depths are endless
      In this valley of tears.” — Kevin Herrick (10:17–10:33)

3. Host’s Initial Skepticism, Then Belief

• The host explains skepticism about two cellmates both protesting their innocence, but Leo’s sincerity stood out.
  • “In all his decades inside, [Leo] could count on one hand the number of men who ever claimed they were truly innocent.” — Narrator (10:58–11:38)
• The decision is made to reach out directly to Kevin for his own account.

4. Kevin’s Own Story: The 1989 Events Leading to His Arrest

a) Setting Up the Narrative (13:11–16:17)

• Kevin returns to Largo after a failed relationship in Chicago.
• He reconnects with old friend Pat Pori and moves in with Pat and his mom Teresa (“Mrs. Pori”).
• “She’s typical Italian mother who… used to beat me and my brother with spatula when we’d be over there… but a beautiful heart… a neighborhood mom.” — Kevin (15:46)

b) Life at the Triplex & Meeting the Neighbors (17:04–20:44)

• Kevin rents a room, helps around the house, and starts meeting neighbors, including Scott Barfield and his girlfriend Cheryl.
• Neighbors occasionally socialize; Kevin describes friendly, almost family-like atmosphere with Pat, Teresa, Scott, and Cheryl.

c) The Night Everything Changed

• July 14, 1989 — Kevin stays in while Pat goes out.

  • “It’s kind of ironic that the one night in my life that I didn’t want to go party… If I would have went out and partied, I don’t see this ever happening to me.” — Kevin (20:44)

• Events Leading up to the Crime (25:12–27:00):

  • Kevin visits Cheryl; they play chess until Scott returns; after smoking together, Scott and Cheryl go to a drive-in movie.
  • Kevin eats with Mrs. Pori, reads, and goes to sleep.

• The Assault and Aftermath (27:10–31:43):

  • Kevin is woken by Mrs. Pori, who is panicked:
    • “Theresa wakes me up. She’s screaming in the room… the girl next door is being raped.” — Kevin Herrick (27:10–27:26)
  • Outside: Cheryl is screaming with her baby, Scott returns bleeding, repeats a license plate number.
  • Neighbors band together to call police and help as best they can.

• Arrest

  • Kevin gives his account to the police, but a few hours later, they return and arrest him on the front porch.
  • “They grab me, throw me on the ground, handcuff me… ‘We found your fingerprints on that door… You’re the one who did this.’” — Kevin Herrick (31:13–31:43)

5. Closing: The Stakes and What’s Next

• The host recaps that Kevin was convicted of aggravated battery, burglary, and sexual battery—sentenced to life with no parole.
• Present-day: new evidence might exist that could exonerate Kevin.
• “In our next bonus episode of Bone Valley, we’ll uncover what happened that night and why Nick and Amanda now believe they found evidence. Evidence that could finally prove Kevin Herrick is an innocent man.” — Narrator (34:52)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On their Pact:

  • “We always knew one of us has to get out so the other can get out… if I make it out, I’m not gonna stop knocking on doors until somebody pays attention to Kevin.” — Leo Schofield (06:22)

• On Friendship:

  • “The thing that binds Leo and I together the most… we knew exactly what it feels like to be each other… to sit there hopeless in a cell with life sentence for something you didn’t do.” — Kevin Herrick (12:25)

• On Regret and Motivation:

  • “Sometimes I regret leaving him there… Not the back of my mind, the forefront of my mind. My mostly. Every waking moment I’m trying to figure out, how are we going to get him proven innocent.” — Leo Schofield (08:38–08:51)

• Description of Arrest:

  • “They grab me, throw me on the ground, handcuff me, pick me up. And the cop says, we found your fingerprints on that door, pointing to Scott and Cheryl’s door. You’re the one who did this.” — Kevin Herrick (31:13–31:43)

• On Community and Small Town Justice:

  • “A half truth is a whole lie.” — Unnamed participant, Graves County (21:40)
  • “America, y’all better wake the hell up.” — Unnamed participant, Graves County (22:53)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• Meet the Investigators & Introduction – 01:55–03:29
• Background on Kevin and Leo’s Friendship – 04:36–07:21
• The Pact and Leo’s Release – 06:22–07:58
• Leo’s Reflections: Regret and Motivation – 07:58–09:52
• Prison Band, “The Watchers,” music sample – 10:17–10:33
• Host’s skepticism, belief in Leo’s innocence – 10:58–11:38
• Kevin’s Story: Life before the crime – 13:11–16:17
• Events leading up to crime – 25:12–27:00
• Night of the Assault, aftermath, Kevin’s version – 27:10–31:43
• The arrest and charges – 31:13–31:43
• Closing: What’s Next, new evidence – 34:52

Tone and Style

• Intimate, investigative, and empathetic—draws listeners into the perspectives of Kevin and Leo without sensationalism.
• Focused on details, building the emotional case for Kevin’s innocence through testimony, memory, and the human cost of years lost.

Summary Takeaway

This episode launches a new wrongful conviction investigation by grounding it first in the powerful friendship and loyalty between Leo and Kevin—a loyalty forged by shared injustice and nurtured through 36 years of struggle, music, and hope. The narrative, carefully reconstructed from first-person accounts and the fresh eyes of new investigators, teases the tragic errors of 1989 and the determination to, finally, set Kevin free.

Next Episode:
Part II promises to examine what evidence Nick and Amanda are uncovering and whether it could finally lead to Kevin’s exoneration after nearly four decades behind bars.