Michelle Saum Schofield was stabbed to death in a canal in February 1987. She was just 18 at the time. The investigation made her husband Leo Schofield as the culprit and the killer. However, later new evidence also put the needle on Jeremy Lynn Scott as Michelle Schofield’s killer. Who killed Michelle Schofield? Jeremy Scott or Leo Schofield? Find out here.
Leo Schofield has been spending time in a prison cell for around 30 years. He was convicted in 1989 of killing his first wife Michelle two years before. Leo is still fighting to prove his innocence. His second wife Crissie and a Non-Profit Organization is calling for his justice regularly.
The prosecutors argue that Leo Schofield, then 21, was a man filled with anger and killed his wife in a rage. However, the defense attorney argued that there was no physical evidence connecting him to the incident and someone else killed Michelle.
Where is Jeremy Scott now?
Jeremy Lynn Scott is a lifelong criminal with an extensive rap sheet. He was first convicted of murder when he was just 15 in 1984 and was then allegedly released. However, he didn’t leave his habits and committed a number of crimes including robbery, grand theft, arson, and others.
He upped the level of crimes on November 1, 1988, when he killed his friend Donald Moorehead in the Polk County, Florida, over non-payment for a payment he’d done. He bashed Donald’s head with a grape juice bottle before fatally strangling him with a phone cord.
Jeremy Scott has been spending time in prison since then. He is 53 years old now and is known as “Bam Bam.” He is completely unrelated to the case of Michelle Schofield’s murder. However, authorities had to involve him with the case as the fingerprints found on Michelle’s car were matched with Jeremy’s prints.
Did Jeremy Scott kill Michelle Schofield?
It’s highly unlikely that Jeremy Scott killed Michelle Schofield. In 2004, his fingerprints were recovered from Michelle Schofield’s abandoned vehicle that she left in 1987. This connected him to the whole case.
The authorities started subsequently questioning him as he was only out of prison at the time of this particular crime and he lived only two miles away from where the body was found. Jeremy admitted that he was a car stereo/ equipment thief as a way of explaining the reason behind his fingerprint.
In 2016, when Leo Schofield’s lawyer met Jeremy in hopes of getting new details about the case, he allegedly confessed to killing Michelle. However, when the police interviewed him again in 2017, he took a U-turn and outrightly denied having a hand in the homicide.
Jeremy also admitted that he’d take the fall for any offense if he’s paid $1,000 in cash. He was then interrogated one more time but on a record. The tape caught every bit of his admittance to the way he’d slain Michelle with a hunting knife.
Who killed Michelle Schofield?
The court believes Leo Schofield, Michelle’s husband, killed Michelle Schofield. However, Jeremy’s account claims that he’d met Michelle on the day of the crime and asked for a ride. Things took a scary turn when his sharp weapon accidentally dropped when he was taking out cigarettes.
Michelle allegedly freaked out and started hitting Jeremy. Due to this, he lost his calm and stabbed her to death. However, Jeremy later said, “I didn’t do that,” when Michelle’s autopsy photos were presented to him.
Therefore, the court ruled out his confession due to it lacking credibility and there were a number of discrepancies in his statements. As a result, Leo Schofield is the convict for Michelle Schofield’s murder. Both the men are still in prison for different crimes though.
The court continues to deny Leo’s appeal for any retrials. The truth is still hidden. It’s possible that Leo Schofield is wrongfully kept in prison for over 29 years. We’ll keep you updated when further developments take place on this case.