Murder of Michelle Schofield: How Did She Die? who killed her
#Murder #Michelle #Schofield #Die #killed
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Since its debut in 1978, ABC’s 20/20 has chronicled one gruesome true crime story after another to truly shed light on the dark side of human nature. So it stands to reason that the first episode of Season 45, aptly titled Last Seen In Lakeland, which explores the sad 1987 murder of Michelle Saum Schofield, would be no different. We now have the essential information for you if you want to know more about the incident, specifically what happened, the investigation that followed and the aftermath.
Michelle Schofield
Michelle Schofield’s cause of death
On February 24, 1987, at around 8:15 p.m., Michelle Schofield, an 18-year-old from Lakeland, Florida, left her job at a nearby burger joint to go home. She was never heard from again. Almost 90 minutes later, she called her husband Leo, but it seems they are catching up. He then asked to be picked up from a friend’s house so they could have some lunch. However, she did not come as planned, prompting him to look for her just after midnight. He called both of their parents, followed their path and checked their RV, but to no avail.
In the hours that followed, Michelle’s loved one even called the police, contacted neighboring hospitals and printed leaflets to find her in dire straits, but to no avail. However, according to court records, on Feb. 25, a friend found her orange Mazda hatchback off the side of Interstate 4 at exit 44, giving authorities and her family a narrower area to focus their search. Important details include the fact that the trunk of her car was unlocked, the rear speakers were missing, and strands of hair were stuck in the back wall, raising the possibility of foul activity.
Both detectives and volunteers searched the area extensively; However, it was Michelle’s father-in-law, Leo Sr., who discovered her frozen, bloodied remains on February 27, 1987. Seven miles from where her car was found, she was submerged behind a sheet of plywood in a water-saturated canal near the intersection of State Road 33 and Interstate 44. The 18-year-old died, having died altogether, according to her autopsy had been stabbed 26 times and lost five liters of blood; Unfortunately, it was not a quick, easy, or painless death.
Also Read: Where Is Leo Schofield’s Dad? Is he alive?
Who Was Michelle Schofield’s Killer?
Michelle Schofield
Detectives immediately contacted Michelle’s loved ones to inquire about problems in her life due to the sheer heinousness of the crime, only to find their marriage was far from ideal. In fact, witnesses even reported physical abuse and threats from Leo Schofield. Authorities were also made aware of these incidents alongside reports showing the couple often engaging in violent altercations. Then her neighbor, Alice Scott, said that she witnessed and overheard the Schofields’ argument that fateful night before Leo was stuffed in the trunk of his car with a large object.
And as if that wasn’t enough, another eyewitness account allegedly linked Leo to the crime, saying that his father’s vehicle and her car were found at the scene of her body’s discovery the morning after she disappeared. On June 24, 1988, Leo was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Michelle, although there was no concrete evidence connecting him to the crime. The case was based solely on circumstantial evidence.
About a year later, when Leo was brought to trial, Alice’s entire account was questioned due to her history of mental health issues and the unlikely nature of her timing for the offence. This is because Leo was really with his wife’s father when she allegedly claimed the heated argument took place in their RV (he was presumably looking for her).
It took the jury just two hours to find Leo guilty as so many other reliable witnesses – 21 in total – confirmed his aggressive tendencies and volatile temper. Leo even maintained his innocence during his trial, telling the court straight out that he didn’t kill Michelle. Leo was later sentenced to life imprisonment. “You’re making a mistake, I’m telling you. I’ll show you how to secure it.
Leo’s appeals have all since been denied, but we must point out that in 2004, a fingerprint found in Michelle’s car matched one belonging to Jeremy Lynn Scott, which had not previously been linked to Leo. Jeremy, also known as “Bam Bam,” is actually a convicted felon with a criminal record that includes seven convictions for armed robbery, arson, and violence, and one acquitted murder charge since the age of 15. He was also convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery for strangling a man in 1988 after hitting him over the head with a bottle. He is currently serving a life sentence for these crimes.
The most important fact, however, is that Jeremy is said to have once admitted that he was also responsible for Michelle’s death. He claimed to have seen Michelle using her phone at a gas station while speaking to Leo and asking for a ride. Jeremy allegedly claimed in 2016 that after she agreed, he gave her directions to a lake and stabbed her with a hunting knife while she was high on prescription drugs. He was found to lack credibility as he refused to sign a statement for the record, refused to speak to a detective and later broke his confession. So Leo is still facing murder charges over his wife’s death.
According to WTSP, at 8:15 p.m. on February 24, 1987, then 18-year-old Michelle Schofield left the restaurant where she was working. According to ABC News, she is said to have called a gas station next to the restaurant at 9:45 p.m. Between leaving work and making this call, Michelle’s exact activities are unknown. Leo Schofield, her husband at the time, worked not far away and she was supposed to pick him up. He grew anxious when she didn’t appear.
At 12:43 a.m., Schofield called the police to report Michelle missing because no one knew what happened to her. Because he was on hold throughout the 911 call, Schofield was unaware that the call was still being recorded. He is talking to one of his friends, which is audible. “I’m having a nervous breakdown man, she was on her way over here. Your behavior in this manner is unusual,” Schofield said.
Michelle’s body was discovered in a Florida canal three days later. There were 26 stab wounds on her body. Schofield was suspected of killing her based on circumstantial evidence. The night before Michelle disappeared, a neighbor told police that she overheard the couple’s argument and saw Leo place a huge object in the trunk of his car before driving away.
An alleged threat to kill Michelle was made by Schofield, according to Michelle’s best friend. First-degree murder was established as Schofield’s crime in 1989 following his arrest in June 1988.
After that, in 1991, Schofield met Chrissie Carter, “a former state parole officer who eventually became a therapist and lectured at Schofield’s prison.” In addition to Carter believing Schofield to be innocent, their friendship would gradually develop, eventually leading to their marriage and adoption of a child.
With a series of unexplained fingerprints found in Michelle’s car, Carter kept digging until she found gold. They belonged to Jeremy Scott, a criminal who “received a life sentence for a 1988 murder” and had already been convicted of one felony.
Where is Jeremy Scott?
Jeremy Lynn Scott
Jeremy Scott is still incarcerated at Florida State Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida and is serving a life sentence. Scott’s fingerprints were discovered in Michelle’s car, prompting Schofield’s attorneys to file for a new trial. According to ABC News, the motion was denied because “the court determined that Scott’s fingerprints alone were unlikely to have resulted in an acquittal at the retrial and determined that the evidence at the trial did not contain any defects leading to Leo’s exoneration.” would have”.
Schofield’s attorney, Andrew Crawford, was present during a 2016 phone conversation with Scott, who later admitted to killing Michelle. Unfortunately, there was no recording of the conversation. Scott claimed he would confess to the murder for $1,000 if state authorities investigated. Scott was contacted again by an investigator hired by Schofield’s attorney a year later. This time it was caught on camera. Scott again admitted that Michelle had been murdered.
The Florida Innocence Project contacted Andrew Crawford and requested a retrial, but was successfully granted an evidentiary hearing. As he spoke, Scott admitted that he had concerns about killing Michelle. Schofield’s spouse claimed, “They took it as a flip-flop that he recanted.” The retrial was eventually dismissed. Schofield’s situation is now being corrected through a podcast.
Schofield’s name is cleared by the Bone Valley podcast
The Bone Valley podcast was released on September 21, 2022 as part of the acclaimed multimedia hub Lava for Good. The goal of the podcast is to hopefully get Schofield out of prison. Hosted by Gilbert King, “author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Devil in the Grove, which led to the exoneration of four innocent men”. Here’s what Scott said during the podcast interview: “Leo is a pure soul. This man did nothing. He is a good boy.”
Ideally, the legal system recognizes this. Adnan Syed, who was imprisoned for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, was recently paroled after serving over 20 years in prison. It’s widely acknowledged that the unreleased podcast was a major factor in his release. Leo Schofield could benefit from Bone Valley in a similar way.
READ ALSO: Did Jeremy Scott Murder Michelle Schofield? Where is he now?
Michelle Schofield Murder: How Did She Die? who killed her appeared first on theancestory.com.