The podcast comes from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King and Lava for Good, the company founded by activist-turned-record executive Jason Flom and Jeff Kempler.
It is now being developed as a series with Cathy Schulman's Welle Entertainment and Primary Wave Music. Dana Stevens will direct.
Written and hosted by King along with producer and researcher Kelsey Decker, the podcast tells the story of Schofield, the Central Florida man wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the murder of his wife Michelle. Schofield spent more than three decades in prison - even after another inmate, Jeremy Scott, confessed to the crime in detail.
The attention King and the podcast brought to the case was cited in Schofield's most recent parole hearing in May 2023, which resulted in Schofield being transferred to the Everglades Re-Entry Center. Another hearing is scheduled for later this month.
The podcast has been downloaded more than 10 million times and tops the podcast charts. He was also named Best Documentary Podcast and Best Reporting at the Ambie Awards.
Welle Entertainment is behind series such as Showtime's The First Lady and The Woman King, the feature film by Viola Davis that Stevens wrote. The next film is Amazon's The Idea Of You, out in May and starring Anne Hathaway and Nick Galitzine.
Primary Wave Music is producing as part of a deal signed in 2020. The company invested in a number of Lava Media companies, including the Lava for Good podcasts. Flom had a relationship with the company dating back to when he was chairman of Virgin Records and the Capitol Music Group, when he signed artists such as Katy Perry and 30 Seconds to Mars.
In addition to the series, there is also a book deal and a second season of the podcast. King and Decker are teaming up again for the second season and the book, written by King, will be published in 2025 by Flatiron, a division of Macmillan.
“Gilbert and Kelsey’s brilliant work has led us all on a powerful journey — shining a light on Leo’s case first with the podcast and now expanding to a television audience through a scripted series,” said Kempler. “With Welle, we will move deeper into this story and bring more attention and advocacy to Leo’s case and to the plight of others who have experienced the nightmare of being wrongfully convicted.”
Schulman said, “I am thrilled to be working with Lava for Good and Primary Wave on this important project,” she said. “The story of Leo Schofield and Michelle’s murder is one that resonates deeply, as it reveals flaws in the American criminal justice system, and I am honored to help bring not only this case but others the series will cover to the screen.”
“As an author, I’m always searching for stories that not only uncover the truth, but that challenge the status quo,” added King. “Leo’s story was particularly compelling because it exposes the complex and often flawed process of criminal justice. Through meticulous research and firsthand accounts, we’ve been able to bring attention to the case of an innocent, honorable man who has been imprisoned and overlooked for far too long. I hope that the work we’ve done will help bring about much-delayed justice and inspire others to question what they believe about truth and our legal system.”
“Like millions of Bone Valley listeners, I was deeply affected by Leo’s emotional resilience, and the surprising twists and turns of his ordeal,” said Stevens. “The show will also follow Gilbert and Kelsey as they tenaciously solve the crime that still haunts so many: who killed Michelle? It’s a tense murder mystery and an eye-opening look at how easy it is for a young person with no resources to be wrongfully convicted.”
