So funny you ask that. I have a feeling that might have been added in post production as I really have no recollection of him making that sound on set and I'm sure I'd remember something like that. I know what you mean. When I heard it I also cracked up. Jeremy is the most terrific little actor.

Why does Gilbert’s sign look like a ransom note?

Hi team,

Excellent reporting and thank you for your work. The positive comparisons to In The Dark are warranted.

It seems like Leo openly admitted to striking Michelle several times. There were credible witness statements of more violent behavior. Do you ever feel like this is a lot of effort to get a wife-beater out of jail?

I've been around intimate partner violence and have zero problem with life sentences for men who beat their wives. How do you balance the "innocent" theme with someone who absolutely committed violence against a woman who is now dead?

In the interlude episode of Season 1 (episode 5), Baby Billy is playing catch (football) with Harmon. Aimee-Leigh walks toward the fence and says "Hey Harmon." Harmon's response is the most bizarre and HILARIOUS sound I have ever heard in my life. I bet my wife and I have watched that scene no less than 30 times trying to decipher what in the hell Harmon is saying. The subtitles just say [babbles] Meep-meep.

Do you have any idea what was the line, or what was in the script for Harmon to say at that point?

Thank you! And please continue speaking out. I know from my experience on the Groveland Four exonerations, it took a great deal of help from others to get this done. I’m especially thinking of State Attorney Bill Gladson in the 5th Circuit, who was so inspired to do the right thing, he conducted his own investigation into the case, and managed to find the long lost physical evidence from the original trial, where he could prove that his predecessors in the State Attorney’s office had purposely framed innocent men. There are plenty of men and women like State Attorney Gladson in Florida who are serious about truth and justice, and I will not be surprised to see someone take the lead in helping to bring relief in the wrongful conviction of Leo Schofield.

-GK

It’s unclear to me if, after all of Leo’s appeals, that John Aguero’s work on Leo’s case can be reviewed for prosecutorial misconduct. One of the areas we wanted to explore more in this podcast was the sordid history of prosecutorial misconduct in the 10th Circuit during State Attorney Jerry Hill’s time in office, and some of the innocent men he convicted who were later exonerated. His star homicide prosecutor, before John Aguero, got caught lying about exculpatory evidence that was withheld from the defense. In my opinion, that kind of prosecutorial misconduct merits charges and arrest — or, at the very least, an investigation. But Jerry Hill kept him on the job.
We also talked to a lot of people in Polk County legal circles who told us that John Aguero was known for doing the kinds of visits with defendants, without counsel and without tape recordings, that both Leo and Jeremy spoke about in our podcast. This was completely unethical, and seemingly an ongoing problem in Hill’s office. But because of the nature of these visits, John Aguero was savvy enough to not leave a paper trail.

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- G.K.

I am a social media marketing professional for a start-up. I think one method (if you're interested) could be to reach out to true-crime /crime/podcast tiktokers and pitch them the case. They make incredibly enticing content with nothing but a few simple background photos and have large audiences. I will link a few here in case you want to reach out to them, explore other accounts like theirs, or even emulate/copy the style of content:

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- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRQhCVmk/

- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRQhoayL/

- https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRQhvBwU/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@makingatruecrimerer?_t=8XPjZ7wSFFi&_r=1

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Reaching out to these folks and sharing the podcast/story highlights might inspire them to make a video and spread the word even further! Happy to provide more examples if you think it might be helpful!

No sadly I didn't. I love her. I did work with little Emma Shannon who plays Little Judy and she was incredible.

The petition is gaining signatures every day! Each signature and share helps. We’ll have to wait and see whether it has the outcome we’re hoping for. If sometime down the road other opportunities to help arise, we will post an update on the petition, and anyone who has signed will be notified. -KD

Did you get to work with Edi Patterson, if so, what was that like? She is so good on that show!

Trust me I have been. Right before the election I had spent a lot of time working with Rep Charlie Crist and Rep Val Demmings(former police chief of Orlando). I told them all about the case. Unfortunately they did not win their elections. I was also speaking to Jerry Demmings about it who was sheriff of Orange County and now the mayor of Orange County.

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Sometimes I think Jeremy Scott was the luckiest man in central Florida. He admitted to getting away with killing Jewel Johnson in 1985 after he was acquitted of her murder. Detective Richard Putnel investigated both Jewel Johnson’s murder and Michelle’s murder, but he never thought to compare the prints found in Michelle’s car to Jeremy Scott, who was out of jail and staying about a mile away from where Michelle’s body was found. About six weeks later, taxicab driver Joseph Lavair was murdered in nearby Intercession City—another murder Jeremy ultimately admitted to. But the State instead tried to convict an innocent man for that murder, too. So Jeremy once again escaped justice.
I’m actually appalled that these tough on crime law enforcement agencies have become Jeremy Scott enablers in order to either protect one of their convictions, or avoid the humility of having their corrupt investigations exposed. That’s why it’s so important to tell these stories. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said, “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”

-GK

We asked around about this, but weren’t able to find any connection between Michelle and the Ziemanns. Wendi was a few years younger than Michelle.

-KD

Thank you so much! And yes, you heard that right. This was my first read job post-grad. I graduated from Barnard College with a degree in sociology. Throughout most of my time there I also worked in Columbia’s oral history archives, and I spent a lot of time attending lectures put on by the Oral History masters program there. So that’s where a lot of interest in audio storytelling is rooted. Working on this case, as my first job, was… wild. I can’t say I really knew what I was getting into at the start, but I quickly became very passionate about Leo’s case, and that’s a big part of what carried me through. I think I made up for some of my lack of experience with this passion. Once I really dug into the details of this case, and once we started investigating and reporting down in the field in Florida, I stopped thinking so much about what I didn’t know, and was able to focus more on what I did know – the facts of the case.

-KD

He's an incredible actor. What's great about him is that when you're playing opposite him like in the Christmas mall scene - he is so convincing. I was in character and just angry at the way he was speaking to me and speaking at Harmon. Afterwards when I was no longer in character and saw the scene I was just laughing hysterically. He's so funny....but at the same time such a good actor. I still crack up at the "f###ing space cadet " line

You can sign the petition here. And yes, #FreeLeo!

They posted the petition link above in another comment, so in case they don't have time to get to you, here it is again: https://www.change.org/p/transfer-leo-schofield-s-case-to-a-conviction-integrity-unit-for-independent-review?recruiter=290487933&recruited_by_id=ab23d1e5-ad33-4c73-a2b6-39bffe74fed9&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_medium=copylink

&, can we make a FreeLeo Hashtag ?! #FreeLeo

Walton did great work on Justified and the Shield. Never realized he could be funny too.

Yes it was wonderful. They're super funny and Walton especially is great at improvising but they're also really considerate and sweet.

Is there a petition to get Leo out of the senseless grasp of that Florida prison? and if so, where do I sign it 50,000 times….

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I have had some experience with Governor DeSantis, when I testified before the Clemency Board during the pardon hearing for the Groveland Four. To his great credit, after the 2018 campaign for Governor of Florida, he stated that addressing the Groveland Four case was going to be one of the first things he did when he took office. And I think it was his second day in office when he called a Clemency Board hearing and officially pardoned the Groveland Four. I also sat next to him in Lake County, Florida when we both spoke at the dedication of the Groveland Four monument in front of the Lake County Courthouse. So I know he’s committed to justice. I know there are people in Florida who are trying to bring Leo’s case to his attention, and I think he knows I will cooperate with any investigation, either by a conviction integrity review unit, or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Florida’s history, when it comes to wrongful convictions, is not a good one. But Florida also deserves credit for being willing to improve the integrity of its judicial system by addressing some of the gross injustices from the past.

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-G.K.

I know Bryan pretty well, and he’s probably the single most person I admire in this world. I’m in awe of his work, and he’s been an inspiration to me over the years. I’m just not sure what he could do for Leo’s case, since Leo has great representation. The sad fact is, there are many cases Bryan and the EJI are involved with that are just as stalled in the courts as Leo’s. Post conviction relief has never been more difficult than it is today. But we both believe in the power of storytelling to affect change.

-G.K.