Recent comments in /f/IAmA

GloriaFreeman OP t1_iwmhqeu wrote

Great question. Lots of different things inspire me. I tend to write and act though not direct as I suck at that. Lol. My latest movie " Introducing Jodea" is a comedy about the moviebiz and anyone who has worked in the film biz I'm sure can relate to it. It was inspired by many bad experiences of rejection I'd had and so I just decided to turn it into a comedy. It's on all main platforms at the moment. You can check out the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vNUSMHrxcE So mostly true experiences are what inspire me. Turning negatives into positives.

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RandalWilkinson t1_iwmghoo wrote

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loopdegook t1_iwmeexb wrote

Kelsey, I think it said on the podcast this was your first job after graduating college. Congrats!

What did you study and what was it like working on the case, given this was your first experience post-graduation?

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lavaforgood OP t1_iwme3ro wrote

After Judge Scott Cupp handed me his business card, stating that Leo Schofield was an innocent man, I began talking to him more and more about the case, and he pointed me to the trial transcript. It was very clear to me that without the testimony of Alice Scott, the State had no case against Leo. And it was also clear to me that Alice Scott’s testimony was completely contradicted by her next door neighbor and sister-in-law, Linda Sells, the State’s own witness. Linda clearly recalled her and Alice having a conversation in the driveway and seeing Leo carrying something heavy out of his trailer. But it was a week or two before Michelle went missing. Alice admitted on the witness stand that she wasn’t good with dates. I spoke to Linda Sells. She didn’t want to be interviewed, but she said that she stands by her statements that Alice was wrong about what she witnessed.
Sadly, wrongful convictions based on faulty witness testimony are very common. What made this case so interesting to me was that nearly two decades later, Jeremy Scott’s fingerprints from inside the Mazda were finally identified. And unlike the State, we were very interested in doing a thorough investigation into Jeremy Scott, and ultimately interviewing him in prison.

-G.K.

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lavaforgood OP t1_iwmd5om wrote

Hi Mike! Tell your parents Gilbert and I say hello! They were one of our very favorite interviews. To answer your question, yes, Jeremy is left-handed. We’ve asked a few experts about this but it seems that, unless the exact position of the suspect in relation to the victim’s body is known, it’s really difficult to use this as evidence. Basically, we don’t know exactly how Jeremy was standing or kneeling while this crime took place, so we don’t know whether the hand he used is evident in the autopsy.

- K.D.

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lavaforgood OP t1_iwmbz77 wrote

Thank you. I think the most difficult part of Leo’s case is parsing through all the pseudo-evidence and innuendo that the State relies on. Because it was a circumstantial case, meaning that there was no physical or direct evidence linking Leo to Michelle’s murder, the State introduces information that’s designed to arouse suspicion with the jury, like…Leo didn’t help plan Michelle’s funeral, Leo couldn’t remember the year Michelle was born, Leo was dating too soon after Michelle’s death, Leo said he hoped they didn’t find Michelle in water, etc., etc. When we talked to Leo about these things, he had perfectly reasonable explanations.
Leo’s lawyer, Jack Edmund missed so many opportunities to counter the State’s narrative because he was so unprepared at trial. Reading the trial transcript is an eye-opening experience.
Here are two recent Florida cases that resulted in exonerations following the work of Conviction Review Units: Robert DuBoise was released from prison when DNA evidence cleared him. And Nathan Myers and Clifford Williams were also exonerated after a Conviction Integrity Review Unit investigation by the 4th Circuit. You can find more Florida exonerations here.

- G.K.

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