you all did a great job. we will be watching each and every one of you. and we hope you will be watching us back here for "celebrity wheel of fortune." bye-bye. vanna: bye! [ cheers and applause ] -- captions by vitac -- ♪ ♪ >> deborah: a wife's never-ending fight to get her husband released from prison. >> david: his conviction, killing his first wife. "20/20" starts right now. my husband did not kill his first wife. i absolutely, 100% know that.

>> now the very latest courtroom shockers. >> you had no idea where this would lead you? >> no idea. it said leo schofield, not just wrongfully convicted, he's an innocent man. oh, i promised i'm not going to do this. i'm sorry. ♪ who my gonna be when you set me free ♪ >> it hits me, looking in a ditch, what do we expect to find? looking for a body. >> michelle was found floating face-down. >> this was a crime of emotion, of violence. 26 stabs, three of which were in the back. >> this was personal. it was rage-filled. >> and leo said to michelle, "shut up, i hate you, i'll kill you, bitch." >> what does alice tell police she witnessed the night of the murder? >> alice says, "he's not looking for michelle, he's killing michelle." that's essentially what she's

saying. >> saying there's another man for instancicly tied to the crime scene who has confessed. >> this was huge. this was the turning point. >> in fact, the story is just beginning. ♪ i can feel the nerves starting. i think the most nerve-racking part is anticipating. like, if things go south and they go really bad, there's a long drive home. >> for crissie carter schofield, that long drive is from fort myers to tallahassee, florida. it's the fourth parole hearing for her husband, leo schofield. >> i feel nervous, scared, hopeful, desperate, sad, anxious. all of it.

>> their daughter, ashley, worries from the back seat. >> almost every single parole hearing, it's almost like i go through a little, like, life crisis. >> leo has spent 35 years in prison for the murder of his first wife, 18-year-old michelle schofield, a crime crissie insists he did not commit. she's been his strongest advocate since they met back in 1991. >> i was 31. he was 25. i had graduated from university of florida with a bachelor's in sociology. i was a teacher at the college in the prison, and leo was an inmate. maybe it was about seven months, eight months into it where i said, "oh, i like him." he shared with me that he was in there for a crime that he did not commit.

i went to the courthouse, and i started looking and researching. i would read something, i'd go ask him. it all starts to line up. i'm like, "okay. yeah, yeah. he's innocent." >> she said, "i met someone." and i said, "well, who is he?" and she said "well, he's a prisoner." i said, "okay. well, my next question is, 'what is he in for?'" and she said, "murder." and i said, "who?" and she goes, "his wife." and i said, "you're crazy." >> we got married in a little chapel in the prison. he played guitar and sang some songs afterwards. it was very, very romantic in the weirdest kind of way. >> chrissy and leo's love story. unlikely, right? >> yeah. i mean, to this day, when i tell people about it, i always get

those raised eyebrows. >> they even adopted a daughter together. leo parenting during jailtime visits. >> the first time he held me, i was 4 days old. when i would cry, he would come and get me, and i would just stop crying as soon as he would hold me. i was a daddy's girl from day one. so, i want my dad home, and i want my dad home now. >> my husband did not kill his first wife. i absolutely 100% know that, because i know him. and i've looked at the case, it's impossible. >> in the eyes of the law, leo schofield is a killer, a man who brutally murdered his young wife back in 1987. but his many supporters say there is much more to the story, including evidence linking another man to the murder. we spoke to leo behind bars. >> i like to say this, that i'm an ordinary man.

there's nothing extraordinary about me. the circumstances may be extraordinary but i'm -- i'm an idealistic dreamer, i always have been. innocent is no part in it, no plan in it, didn't know it was happening, didn't know it was gonna happen, and didn't want it to happen. that is me. i am 100% innocent of michelle's murder. >> pulitzer prize-winning author gilbert king has investigated leo's case and produced a podcast series about it called "bone valley." >> the story of michelle's murder doesn't end with leo's conviction. in fact, the story is just the beginning. >> where did leo grow up? >> leo grew up in fall river, massachusetts, tough little town outside of boston. and his family in the early '80s moved into a little trailer in lakeland, florida. >> lakeland is located literally in between tampa and orlando.

it's right on interstate 4. it's the cornerstone of polk county. >> if you go into central florida, it becomes very rural and very much like the deep south. leo immediately doesn't fit in. he's got the long hair, he's got that new england accent. >> it was very tough, because i grew up in the project in massachusetts, from the age of 7. and i missed it as soon as we left. >> what was leo's dream in life? >> he really had one dream, and that was to be a heavy metal guitarist. >> all my life, i wanted to be a rock 'n' roll guitar player. that's all i ever wanted to do. >> we all like music and used to get together and jam. he was a good guitarist for sure. >> he had a cute smile, and i think that that would probably melt some of those little teenage girls' hearts. >> in 1985, leo met 16-year-old

michelle saum. unlike leo, she was born and raised in lakeland, florida. >> michelle was my older sister. my earliest memories about michelle were that she was always happy. she was just so easy-going, you know, and people just loved to be around her. >> i met michelle in the fourth grade, and we became best friends almost instantly. michelle was very playful. just a really fun person. >> she really liked to sing, she really liked music. one of her favorites was pat benatar. she would always be singing her songs. >> jumping around. ♪ hit me with your best shot ♪ of course, that was the '80s. we always made time to goof around. >> she was just absolutely stunningly beautiful. first time i saw her, i thought, "wow." she was always, always happy, always smiling.

>> my first impressions of leo, he was a little bit cocky, a little macho. >> he was very different from what i was used to seeing her with. a little more of the bad boy. >> leo and michelle get married in august of 1986. they had known each other about six months. >> their wedding happened so fast that i was like, "wow." it kind of -- it really surprised me. i was like, "dang, man, this is like in high gear." >> michelle and leo's wedding was at a small church in lakeland. it was beautiful. i was the maid of honor, so i was the only one that walked down with her. oh, here's one, this was the most recent picture of her before she passed. i haven't seen it in a while, so i apologize. this is the bouquet that i carried during michelle's wedding.

her bouquet was just like this only bigger. it was just a very good memory. >> the happiest day of my life, easily. i was so, so excited that day. i remember watching her walk down the aisle dressed like that, thinking, "i'm actually marrying this girl. this girl is gonna be my wife." >> they were newly married, had very little money. so they lived off of combee road in a trailer establishment. >> leo worked odd jobs. michelle was a waitress here at what used to be tom's restaurant. after her shift that fateful night, she called leo from a pay phone across the street. it would be the last place she would be seen before she went missing. minutes turned to hours, no sign of her. he's absolutely frantic. >> polk county sheriff's office,

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♪ in 2018, you're in naples, florida, at a conference speaking to judges. >> yeah. i talk about my books, and i was sitting at a table signing books, and judge cupp came up to me.

>> did you know who he was? >> no, i had no idea. as he began speaking, i was very quickly blown away. and all i can think about is, if i have my way, he has no idea what he's in for. >> and he basically had this card that he handed to me. and i remember i flipped it over and looked at it because he'd written something on the back. >> i take out my business card and i write "leo schofield." >> and it said, "leo schofield," had his florida prison number. and it said, in quotes -- >> not just wrongfully convicted. he's an innocent man. >> i get a lot of these kind of cards, as you might imagine, but never from a judge. that was different. and he started telling me about leo's case. >> what did he say? >> he said, "do me a favor. just read the transcript, that's all i'm asking." >> you had no idea where this would lead you, did you? >> no idea. and he told me something that just absolutely shocked me. he said, "there's another man who's forensically tied to the crime scene who has confessed."

i sit down and start reading, and i can't stop. i would end up spending the next three and a half years of my life doing what judge cupp was hoping i'd do -- a thorough investigation into the leo schofield case. >> february 24th, 1987 -- everything changes. >> yeah. at this point, they're married for six months. >> the night before the murder, leo and michelle actually stayed at buddy anderson's house. buddy was a member of the band that leo played in. >> michelle had to work that day as a server, and so she took their one car that they shared. >> she was working at a new place called tom's restaurant. michelle's shift is going to end around 8:00 p.m., and they agree before hand that they're going to meet over at buddy's house. >> she was supposed to meet me back there at 8:00 that night when she got off. >> but 8:00 comes, and there's no word from michelle. >> so, this is where michelle was working, right? >> right, right. >> what happens when she leaves

work? >> well, after she finishes her shift around 8:00, she goes home and folds some laundry, feeds the dogs. and then she drives back to a payphone, because they don't have a phone in michelle and leo's trailer. she goes and makes a call there. it's raining. it's about 9:45. >> michelle called. she told me she made $13 in tips. she got $3 worth of gas. wanted to know if i wanted her to get something from mcdonald's, and i said, "no. just pick me up." >> he says, "meet me over at vince's house," another friend of theirs. >> so the last thing i got to say to her was, "i love you." >> and he starts waiting for michelle. michelle has yet to show up at vince's house. minutes turn into hours. still no michelle. >> i expected her no later than 10:00. and that's the thing. there's no way michelle calls me

at 9:45 and says she's coming to get me and then not doing it. and so i called my dad. i had my father take me down the road she would have had to have driven. >> they start driving around town looking for michelle, looking at all the usual places. >> no sign of her, the car. nothing. we went all the way to my house. the lights were off, the car wasn't there. i didn't even stop. we came back, going back to vince's house. i was really, really scared for her, because something's not right. now we're hours late and nobody knows where she's at. and nobody -- we can't find the car anywhere. so i make a missing persons report at 12:43 in the morning. >> polk county sheriff's office, operator 53, can i help you? >> ah, yes, uh -- i need to talk to somebody about, uh, finding my wife. i -- uh, she's four and a half hours late coming home from work

and she only lives ten minutes away from her job, and i'm worried about her. >> he's very concerned about it, and you can hear it in his voice. >> i called the hospital and she hasn't -- there hasn't been no accidents tonight. >> at one point on the call leo is on hold, and he's recorded talking to his friend vince. >> i doubt very seriously she's [ bleep ]ing around somewhere. if she is, god help her. but god, you don't know what she's like. she does this to me all the time, i can't stand it i hate [ bleep ], i hate it. if there's nothing wrong with her, she should call. i don't care, she should call me you know. she was on her way here, that's why i'm tripping out, man, it's not like her to do this. >> he was on hold. he didn't know it was being recorded. >> no, and to me, you get worried, you get concerned, you're scared. and i think those are all the emotions at play. >> and the night doesn't get any better from there. i went to her dad's house. woke him up. i asked if he had seen her. >> he was upset. he was smoking a lot of cigarettes, he's pacing around. and that's when he told my dad that he couldn't find michelle.

it kind of caught me off guard. >> david saum decides to go out and search for his daughter. leo takes off with his mother. they see two patrol cars parked in a gas station. he goes over to the officers -- >> asking if they had the missing person report. and they didn't. so i gave them the whole story. i'm not ashamed to tell you i was terrified something bad happened to her. this wasn't right. this felt wrong from the beginning. she's not going to be out driving around by herself in the middle of the night. i was terrified. >> i was working at a grocery store. leo walked straight up to my register and he said, "do you know where michelle is? she didn't come home all night last night." so i walked up to the office and said, "i have to go. my best friend's missing." >> a search party starts to take shape. parents, both families, friends. they drive the streets around combee and expand into other

parts of lakeland. >> there's a frantic search for two days, but there's no sign of her, until at last there's a new lead. >> yeah. one of leo's friends went by leo and michelle's mazda on the side of a highway. >> will finding the car lead to more clues to explain michelle's mysterious disappearance? >> there is a downy bottle with a smear of blood on it. depression is a journey. i'd made some progress on my antidepressant... had some daily wins in reducing my symptoms. but i was still masking my depression. so i talked to my doctor. she told me i could build on my wins, without changing my antidepressant. rexulti, when added to an antidepressant, significantly reduced depression symptoms more than an antidepressant alone. and less depression... that's a win. rexulti can cause serious side effects. elderly dementia patients have an increased risk of death or stroke.

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when we start a case, we look at it as if we were prosecuting the case. we look at every shred of evidence that's available. >> he does what he's going to do from that period of time, goes back over here. we spent a few months researching, reading the trial transcript, reading the police reports. >> this is the opposite direction -- when we started looking into leo schofield's case, we knew it was going to be a deep dive because this case had more twists and turns than we could have ever imagined. >> when michelle first disappeared, nobody really had any idea what might have happened to her. >> i just felt like that she was just going to magically come back and be like, "oh, i was staying with a friend." or, "i just had to get away from leo." or whatever. and things were just going to be normal again. and a few days after that, it's just, you realize, "oh my god, dude. they really can't find her." >> what was the searching like for leo at that point?

>> well, you know, it was horrible. what they're doing is he's sitting in a pickup truck with a big spotlight, and they're driving up and down these roads looking in ditches. >> while leo's searching for michelle, he's also looking for their car, because if they can find the car, maybe they can have an indication of where michelle is. but it's not until two days after michelle first goes missing that a friend of leo's sees a car that looks like michelle's car on the side of the road. >> how important was that discovery? >> i mean, it was tremendous, because there had been no clues, no word from michelle, nobody calling up saying, "yeah, she's with me." nothing. >> so the car was an orange mazda. they find it abandoned on the side of the road, it won't start. >> the car has broken down. it wasn't purposely parked there. in fact, the car was still in gear. >> they notice that some speakers had been stolen. >> there's seemingly no sign of michelle. but in the hatchback of the car,

there is a downy bottle with a smear of blood on it. and that was a match to michelle's. detectives search the car checking for clues, dusting for fingerprints. >> the fingerprints were actually found in two different areas in the car, both in the front, near the windshield, and also on a receipt in the back hatchback area of the car. >> they didn't match anyone who should have been in that car. they were just these unidentified fingerprints. leo and his family and friends, they decide they're going to break up at this point. leo's father takes the area closest to i-4. leo and michelle's best friend further down state road 33. >> we would just drive and look. >> and then, it's -- it's close -- getting close to noon, and leo sees a sheriff's car speed right by. and then, another sheriff's car, lights flashing. and they start following the path of that second squad car.

and leo keeps going faster and faster till he gets to the spot. >> he jumps out of the driver's seat and starts running towards the crowd where the police were. >> i saw my dad coming out of the treeline with his hands in his face. and i knew. he kept telling me, "she's gone." and i'm in denial. "what do you mean she's gone?" >> it turns out that leo's father was the one that located the body first. >> leo sr. had found michelle in a canal. >> the location is a place that's right off interstate 4. it's along state road 33. michelle was found floating face down, still wearing her uniform from tom's restaurant. she's got a long piece of plywood that's resting on her back, partially covering her.

>> and his reaction when his father finds her? >> it was clearly the worst time of his life, because he said it was just this moment where he's trying to get back there to see michelle, and they're holding him back. the detectives don't want him going back there. father doesn't want him going back there. >> i don't know exactly what i felt. but it -- it was beyond despair. that man right there is totally lost right there. i was so angry at god in that moment. i ripped my shirt off. i punched a tree, punched the ground, was pulling grass out of the ground. i was just, and i -- and i cursed god. >> they found out that michelle has been stabbed 26 times. >> my dad couldn't even talk. and my mom told me, you know, "they found her."

and so, you know, that was, uh -- that was a really dark day. >> it was horrible. i was like, i -- i mean, i was just -- ughh. >> the following day after michelle's body was found, you see -- you know, a newspaper story, but it's not front page or anything. they didn't have a suspect. it was just a case under investigation. >> you have investigators who are looking to see, is there a sexual assault? has anything been stolen? michelle still has her rings on her fingers. she hasn't been sexually assaulted, but she's been murdered and she's been murdered brutally. >> this was a crime of emotion, of violence. this wasn't just, i'm going to kill you, a stab, and walk off, or even two. 26 stabs. three of which were in the back. >> this was personal. it was rage-filled. you did not need that many stab wounds in order to kill michelle. and so it suggests a very

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each an artist by trade. mostly abstract art. i use wood and plastic and all types of different mediums. i think that without art, i don't know what i would be doing as far as emotionally. i keep a picture of my sister, michelle, close by. here in my studio, i like to keep her close by, because i can always look at her and it makes me smile. when i think about michelle, the images that i think about, they always are a little fuzzy. it's almost like a filter on a summer day. the richness of her character and the sweetness of her soul. when i heard about her being found, i was really confused about the whole thing. and i'm like, you know, who on planet earth would, you know, want to hurt this girl?

>> in the very beginning, there was a lot of sympathy for leo. people perceived him as the grieving husband. >> he appeared to be very sad, very distraught. he would, from time to time, just lose it, you know. and just be like, "i can't believe somebody did this to her." >> so a lot of leo and michelle's friends are interviewed, and it comes out pretty quickly that leo and michelle had a passionate relationship. they fought passionately, they loved passionately. and stories begin to come out that leo was abusive towards michelle. >> the police are drawing information from the people who know leo and michelle. and what they're hearing is violence. >> police start to get a picture of leo and michelle's relationship, and it's not very pretty.

>> they're talking to friends who say, i've seen him hit her, he yells at her all the time. there were stories about loud arguments in the trailer. leo screaming at michelle. some noises that sounded like slaps. red marks on michelle's face. >> some of the guys that used to come around would like hit on michelle because she was a cutie, and i think he didn't like that, i think that trig triggered his jealousy. >> he was very impatient. when she was supposed to be somewhere, she better be early, don't be late. the one time that i remember most significantly, he grabbed her by the top of her hair and jerked her to the floor and drug her from the living room to the bedroom. and leo said to michelle, "shut up, i hate you. i'll kill you, bitch." and i could hear them screaming and hollering.

i went in to check on her, and she was down beside the -- she was down beside the bed, between the bed and the wall, still laying there, crunched up, with her arms over her head. and i said, "i know he hit you. i heard it." and she said, "no, he didn't." and i said, "yes, he did michelle. you know he did." and i couldn't believe that she was going to let somebody do that to her. >> that just did not happen like that. it really, honest and truly did not happen like that. physical abuse is one type of abuse, and then you have the emotional abuse, which i'm guilty of. i did a lot of yelling. i did a lot of screaming. and i wasn't beyond punching a wall and being very theatrical. >> then police have a pivotal conversation with one of his neighbors -- alice scott. what does alice scott tell police she witnessed the night of the murder? >> well, she says that she sees

leo come home around 1:00 and 1:30, bring michelle inside. >> and she sees the two of them get out of a vehicle and go inside their mobile home. she then hears a real fight. they're really carrying on. >> they have a fight. he leaves about 20 minutes later, comes back, terrific argument, fight, sounds like michelle's being thrown against the wall, all sorts of screaming involved. and then about 20 minutes later, she says, "i see leo come out carrying something heavy." >> police presumed that the heavy object was michelle's body. >> and those statements really make the trailer the crime scene. alice scott really put the whole focus of the investigation on leo at that point. >> what alice does to leo's story is she contradicts what leo claims.

leo claims he's looking for michelle. alice says, "he's not looking for michelle. he's killing michelle." that's essentially what she's saying. >> alice scott puts the investigation's focus squarely on leo. >> this investigation has gone on for a year with no arrest, no prosecution. >> but then the lefoons entered the picture. randy and mary lefoon were other neighbors of leo's. and of course, the police spoke to them days after the murder. and when they spoke to them at that time, lefoons didn't have much to say. that would all change 15 months later. >> now they say that the night michelle disappeared, they were driving home from mary's job stocking the newspapers. >> now they do remember that they saw some cars out by the place where michelle was found.

>> the mazda that belonged to leo and michelle on the side of the road. also saw a truck that matched leo sr.'s parked next to it. this helps tie the prosecution story together that leo had something to do with michelle's murder and he had an opportunity to dump the body sometime during the night. >> leo and his father deny that they could have seen their vehicles. but this, along with alice scott's account, leads to an indictment. in june of 1988, police arrest leo for michelle's murder. no charges are brought against leo's father. it was in the newspaper. and i said, "oh my gosh, david. they arrested leo for michelle's death." i was like, "you don't think he did it, do you?" that was the first thing that came out of my mouth. after they arrested him, we

visited him constantly in the jail. >> i think he had a positive attitude. >> adamant that he was innocent, so he just felt like he was going to be able to win this thing. >> you looked at the state's timeline. what stood out to you about it? >> the thing that stood out was it just made no sense. >> the more you read about the timeline, and the more you begin to realize, this is probably not a murder that leo schofield could physically commit. >> at the trial, leo comes face-to-face with former friends. >> i just wanted to stare him down. tch carriers... (roommate) i told him...at verizon, everyone can get the best deals, like that iphone 15 on them. (man) switching all the time...it wasn't easy. (lady) 35! (store customer) you're gonna be here forever. (man) i know. (employee) here is your wireless contract. (man) do i need a lawyer for this? those were hard days. representative. switch! now that i got a huge storage and battery upgrade... i'm officially done switching. (vo) new and existing customers get iphone 15 on us when they trade in any iphone, any condition. guaranteed.

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♪ the trial was definitely a big story for "the ledger." anytime there's a first-degree murder case, and particularly in this case. leo schofield faced the death penalty if he was convicted.

>> the prosecutor in this case, the first things he says to the jury is just how violent he finds leo schofield to be. and he paints leo as this angry young man. >> there were 21 character witnesses. how damaging was what they said about leo? >> i think it was extraordinarily damaging. they painted leo's picture of this person with a temper who was extraordinarily violent. >> in one instance, leo asked michelle to bring him some iced tea, and when she brought it in the wrong glass, he was so angry that he punched her in the stomach. >> so witnesses testified that he was an angry man, but did they come up with any motive for that night for the killing? >> yes, that he was so upset with her not showing up, and he was just so angry that he killed her. that's it. this was a homicide committed in rage.

>> let me say this unequivocally. that never happened. i have never pulled her hair. i have never punched her. i have never abused her. that never happened. i don't know why people lie. they do. i know that they have. in this case, they did. i know that the state has described the relationship as volatile and violent. it was not volatile and violent. it was a very loving, passionate relationship that had moments because of me. and i live with that every single day. >> i remember walking into the courtroom. i just wanted to stare him down. you know? leo just said, kind of out of the blue, "i could have blacked out and killed her, and i would never even know it." >> they do put leo on the stand. he admits to slapping michelle twice. but he basically says, "but i didn't kill my wife."

>> the state has presented her as a victim, and she was a victim of a -- of a cruel and heinous crime. but not one committed by her husband. i'm not charged with being a bad husband, i'm charged with murder. >> leo's friends thought they would have the opportunity to testify on leo's behalf. >> we were told that we were going to be character witnesses. >> and that his lawyer decided not to use us. >> he says, "i don't need to." he kind of assured us that he thought he had it all sewn up and he wouldn't need us. >> the main argument from the defense is the lack of any physical evidence connecting leo to the murder. >> the prosecution's theory is that michelle was killed in the schofield trailer. >> 26 stab wounds with several of them being fatal. >> he didn't kill her in the trailer? >> no. not stabbed 26 times. there wasn't any blood. if you stab somebody 26 times, there's blood flying everywhere.

>> the prosecution points back to their key witness, leo's neighbor, alice scott. and on the stand she testified that after michelle went missing, she saw leo bringing a carpet cleaner into leo's trailer. she also says she could even see him cleaning the carpets. >> we knew that he had that cleaner to clean up the rug. he spent some time in there doing that. what he may or may not have done with his clothing, i don't know. it was his home. he had the ability to either get rid of or wash that type thing. >> of course, when the crime scene technicians came here and they examined the carpet, they said, "there's no sign that this carpet was freshly cleaned." >> for the defense, the timeline was a factor. there were people who had seen leo during the course of the night and could identify where he was at certain times. >> according to the prosecutors, where would leo need to be and when on the night of the murder? >> well, it's interesting. if you look at this map, you can sort of see what transpired.

so this is where leo lives, and alice scott is right across the street from him. i see leo come out, look like he's carrying something. >> she figures it's about 2:15 or 2:20. the interesting thing is at 2:20, leo is over at david saum's house, michelle's father. >> we know that. >> we know that because he testifies. he's a state's witness. this is miles away from where alice scott says he was supposed to be. >> within the span of five minutes? >> within minutes, yeah. in fact, according to alice scott, he's in two places at once. >> in any case that you've looked at, you're going to find some discrepancies with witness testimony. it's human. i don't think any witness was looking at their watch saying, "there's leo." i think they were being as honest as they could be in approximating exactly what they observed. >> the main thrust of the defense case was that there were too many questions, and those questions led to reasonable

doubt. >> especially those two sets of fingerprints found in the mazda that did not match leo, leo sr., or michelle. they were unidentified fingerprints. >> so at the very end, in his closing argument, the defense says, "wouldn't you like to know if someone else's fingerprints were found in that mazda?" >> i just remember it seemed like it took them forever to say the words "guilty" or "not guilty." >> the verdict was guilty as charged of first-degree murder. >> and i just knew with every ounce of my being that they had the right person. leo, i remember seeing him kind of fall apart crying. >> i remember my head hitting the table. i was devastated. i begged my attorney, "don't let them kill me in the electric chair." >> leo was spared the death

penalty. he was given life in prison instead. but a new chapter in leo's story is about to begin. >> the painful truth is, someone else's fingerprints were found in the mazda. >> so i'm like, "whose fingerprints were those?" somebody knows something. >> then finally, there's a match. and alarm bells go off. >> the fact these prints come back to a known killer in the area is a one in a million type of chance. >> oh, i promised i'm not gonna do this, i'm sorry. >> decades after michelle's murder, does the real killer come forward? >> i've been holding this confession for a long time.

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♪ the story of a man serving life in prison -- >> i promised i'm not gonna do this, i'm sorry. >> i don't see this as entertainment. i see this as a man who spent 36 years in prison for a crime that he didn't commit. >> they're keeping him away on purpose.

and i don't know why. >> so this is the mazda. they would find fingerprints on that driver's side window. >> in my career, i haven't seen too many instances where new evidence surfaces 15 years after a conviction. >> sounds like something out of a movie. >> this was huge. this was the turning point. >> i went, [ bleep ], this guy didn't do it. >> did you think this new evidence might help leo get a new trial? >> i think everybody thought that. >> he's a cold-blooded, unrepentant murderer. all of the arrows pointed toward leo, period. >> i knew then i was looking at michelle's killer. >> when he describes killing her, it's the most horrific thing ever. to have to hear. >> i've been holding this confession for a long time. >> dear heavenly father -- >> now the very latest twist. as one man's future comes down

to three strangers. i started collecting documents in 1991, and this is just a tiny little portion, because now everything is on computer. these are old transcripts. i have legal stuff. investigations. depositions. thirty-one years, yeah. so, that's a lot. >> somewhere amidst the thousands of case files that she saved through the years -- >> that's all the legal motions. >> -- crissie schofield is hoping to find something, anything that could help free her husband leo from a life sentence for the murder of his first wife, michelle. >> if somebody's interested in the case, i'll fill up this box.

and dump it all in there and say, "just read it. you don't have to believe me. you don't have to take my word for it. just read it." i do this because i can't not do it. to right this wrong and to see justice, it has to be done. >> when someone's in prison, they need someone fighting for them on the outside. and leo had that in his wife, crissie schofield. >> she's been called my bulldog. she's very tenacious. she doesn't take no for an answer. >> how does she begin investigating the case? >> she's showing up at the clerk's office, asking a million questions. >> i wanted him out. this was wrong. >> she was adamant that he was innocent. >> and she's doing all this as a single mom with her adopted daughter, ashley?

>> absolutely. >> being a dad of a daughter is another difficult thing. it's exponentially more difficult from in prison. but what ashley brings is the reason for hope and living and a future. >> having my head wrapped around the fact that people think he's a murderer is confusing. because if you look at the facts, if you look at the story, it doesn't add up. >> it's tough for me, because i want us to be together and i want this to be over. >> this is the area where the body of michelle schofield was discovered decades ago. it looks much different now. years after leo's murder conviction, his wife crissie began a crusade to prove his innocence, and she became fixated on one physical piece of evidence that had remained a mystery all those years --

unidentified fingerprints. >> so i'm like, "whose fingerprints were those?" i don't know, it would drive me crazy. >> what are we looking at here? >> so this is the mazda. they would find fingerprints on that driver's side window, on the interior. also in the back of the mazda, the hatchback, they found a fingerprint on a receipt laying right there. >> the prints did not match michelle, nor leo, nor leo sr.? >> right -- these were just a stranger's prints, and that's why crissie was so obsessed with it. >> whoever's fingerprints are in that car had to know something. >> the layperson can't just obtain evidence from a case file nor run fingerprints. but lucky for crissie, she had a friend who's married to a defense attorney, scott cupp. >> crissie was a friend of my wife's at the time. a little bit later came to find out that, you know, that she was

married to leo, and of course, i thought she was crazy. >> most people did, she says. >> but then they both kind of worked on me. >> you reluctantly agreed to read leo's case file? >> i'm just going to do it, and then i'll be able to tell crissie that, "this is what happened. this is why this guy's in prison." but that's not the way it went. >> the thing that stood out the most is kind of simple. you can't be in two places at one time. >> and so at that point, he's all in. >> you contact the state police in florida to get a copy of the orange fingerprints? >> at that point, all i was looking at was the next logical step, and that was one thing that i saw that should still be around. >> in 1987, you would have to compare these unknown fingerprints to thousands of known fingerprints. and that's even just assuming

that the match is somehow in your file. it's a painstaking process to do these fingerprint matches by eye rather than by automation. >> having the fingerprints is a huge moment for this case, but crissie's still running into a problem. she can't run them. fortunately, synda, her friend, works for the sheriff's department. >> i kept hounding her like, we have to get these prints run. and i would pester her and pester her and pester her and drive her nuts. and she took them. >> in hendry county, i was the captain over the criminal investigations division for the sheriff's office. so, i asked my crime scene detective "can you make out whether or not this print is viable?" i did not ask that that print be run. but the print got ran. it was either a day or two days later, and i vividly recall him saying, "we have a hit." >> synda called me and said, "you're not going to believe

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♪ ♪ i once was lost but now am found and i was blind but now i see ♪ it defines that era of my life now because of this tragedy. but -- um, today, i'm not the same man that i was then. my life has changed because of jesus' work and these men's lives. prison's not the place that builds men into good men. but it can if the man is willing. >> whoever's prints these are may have known something about what happened. >> exactly. that was what crissie's whole thing was. i mean, she -- i don't think she expected this outcome. >> these prints come back to this man.

>> the fingerprints are put into the system, and they come back to someone who is a convicted murderer, jeremy scott. >> i mean, what are the odds in this situation that these unidentified fingerprints -- they come back to a convicted murderer who's from that area. it's just too big a signpost to avoid. >> it sounds like something out of a movie. >> this was huge. this was the turning point. >> when i heard that the fingerprints matched, i thought they found the person that actually did kill michelle. >> i was excited, because leo's going to get either out or get a new trial. >> when synda told me the name, we had an answer. it's scary. it's overwhelming. >> it was one of those "oh crap" moments. it became very significant. >> jeremy lynn scott. you look at the police report

and look up his d.o.c. record. i started researching and looking into his cases and reading about it. i saw this long history of violence. >> it turns out jeremy scott had a tough upbringing. >> yes, he did. it was -- it was pretty horrible. >> i first met jeremy scott when i was 16. jeremy scott's upbringing and childhood wasn't very good. his family tossed him around from home to home. >> he had lived on the street and just grew up having to fend for himself. he was constantly committing violent acts. >> he's just very different. very narcissistic, in a way. >> jeremy scott was just a punk criminal. one of the things that he was almost proud of was if he saw a

car that was abandoned, he would get into that vehicle and take stereo radio equipment. >> at the time of michelle's murder, he'd already been tried and acquitted by that same office of a murder. >> in 1988, jeremy scott is yet again charged with murder, this time of a man that he beats over the head with a bottle. and when that didn't do the trick to kill the man, he strangles him with a telephone cord. this time, he is convicted. >> he's initially sentenced to death. that sentence is eventually commuted to life in prison. and jeremy's been in prison ever since. >> then we start looking more and realize that he lived about a mile from where michelle was found. so, all those are adding up. we got our guy. >> we're prosecutors, and i've

never seen anything like this, certainly not in my career. this is a reasonable doubt personified. >> i think people thought that this would get leo out of prison. >> you must have thought, "leo's going to get a new trial." >> absolutely. i was thinking, game, set, match for leo. >> i remember scott and i was like, "oh, 90 days, he's going to be out of there." >> i went to visit, and i told him that we had a match on the fingerprints, and it was jeremy scott. and his first reaction was to put his head down on the table and cry. that was tough. that was tough. >> for me, it was the mantle of the murderer was taken off. because that's been laid on my shoulders by the state, and i've had to carry that burden. i was looking for a monster for years before jeremy was found. >> i picked up the phone, and i called polk county sheriff's office. and i immediately told them what had happened. >> on the heels of that new information, cold case detectives are sent to visit jeremy scott in prison, and what he has to say could hold the key to leo's freedom.

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i never, ever thought that this would be my story and my life. i went from traveling, doing things, friends, to now spending my weekends in prison. that was not something that i had planned. but here it is, and it's my life. >> for three decades, crissie schofield has visited her husband leo in prison. >> i realized, just now, today is our anniversary from when we met. >> but in 2005, it was investigators who paid a visit to jeremy scott. >> my name is louis giampavolo. i'm a retired major from the polk county sheriff's office. there were unidentified latents on michelle schofield's car.

and they came back with a hit. so, myself and a detective drove up and sat down with jeremy scott. basically, our goal was to talk to him and get some background. who is this guy? >> what does he tell them? >> they say, "is there a reason that your fingerprints could have been in a car along the side of a road?" >> first thing he said was, "was the stereo equipment missing?" >> he made the statement, "that's all i used to do. i'd steal every stereo out of a car." >> and the evidence in michelle's car was that the stereo speakers were missing? >> correct. so who knows. >> we decided, "well, let's bump it up a notch. let's see what he knows or what he's going to say." so we slid a picture of michelle schofield to see what his reaction was going to be. >> what does he tell them? >> he just basically says, "i didn't do it." and so that's what they go with, that he was just a stereo thief. which is kind of remarkable,

because they know he's not just a punk stereo thief. they know he's a murderer. >> as far as this case goes, we look at the evidence, and as bad as he is, he ain't part of this case other than stealing out of her car. >> leo's defense was not deterred. armed with jeremy scott's fingerprint evidence, they filed a motion for new trial while crissie rallied the local media. >> my name is donald morris. i was a news artist for "the st. petersburg times." i got a call from crissie. she shared what was going on in leo's case. it was a story that really caught my ear. so this is the "doubt" story as it ran on the front page. >> in 2007, "the st. petersburg times" publishes an article

about leo's case, which took aim at the testimony of alless scott, the neighbor who's unrelated to jeremy scott. >> she had this story that she was looking through the bathroom window, and i think somehow somebody got in there and looked, and you couldn't possibly see what she said she saw. >> alice scott, leo's neighbor, lived in this house, and she testified to seeing him from her bathroom window the night michelle disappeared. when "times" reporters questioned her 20 years later about whether she could have seen leo from that distance, they say she changed her account and now claimed she actually saw him from her porch. now, that's something alice never said at trial or to the police. "20/20" tried to contact alice scott, but we never received a response. >> i believe that at the time she testified, she was credible. and please bear in mind, we had no less than three separate individuals go confirm that she could actually see what she said

she saw, from where she said she saw it. >> go ahead and state your name for the record, sir. >> my name is jeremy l. scott. >> so jeremy scott is deposed in 2010, and just like before, he denies having any involvement in michelle's murder. >> i told them, "probably half a dozen cars probably got my fingerprints in 'em." >> jeremy says that he didn't do it. >> i don't really care about it. it ain't got nothing to do with me. >> there was nothing tying him to brutally murdering michelle schofield. all of the arrows pointed towards leo, period, hands down. >> months later, jeremy scott is back in court to testify at leo's hearing. >> did you kill michelle schofield? >> no, sir, i didn't. >> i thought we were going to get a new trial. nope. >> the court found that

jeremy scott's fingerprints alone would not likely have led to an acquittal on retrial and ruled there were no issues with the trial evidence that would have led to leo's exoneration. >> this is seemingly a complete dead end for leo's case. >> it must have been devastating to leo's supporters. >> and for leo, i still have a hard time believing it. >> you feel very strongly that leo deserves to be exonerated. >> no question. and i'm not the only one that feels that way. >> to lose that was -- it's horrible. and i have to tell leo. i'm the one that tells him. >> and at that point, i've got two paths to go down. i can go down the path that leads to bitterness and hatred, or i can pray. and i did exactly that. because i'm hurting inside and i don't know what else to do.

>> this was probably his darkest moment. he's just starting to accept the fact that he's in for life. he's probably never getting out. >> and now leo's praying for a miracle. >> i'm a private investigator talking with jeremy scott. v is . for those 60 years and older protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. i chose arexvy. rsv? make it arexvy. sometimes your work shirt needs to be for more than just work. like when it needs to be a big, soft shoulder to cry on. which is why downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. downy. breathe life into your laundry.

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my daughter, never did she ever lose her personality, her energy, you know, her enthusiasm for life. and there were moments where i needed her far more than she needed me. >> i definitely can't wait 'til he walks out and i run and i just hug him. that's what i'm waiting for. >> years go by, and the case is stalled.

scott cupp becomes a judge and stops representing leo. >> so, a new attorney comes into leo's case. >> he asks a private investigator to speak with jeremy scott, hoping to get a confession on tape. >> so during my career, i was the private investigator for o.j. simpson, casey anthony. a number of these high-profile cases. i'll find dirt on mother teresa. >> i just wanted you to go ahead and just explain what happened that night with michelle, in your own words. he's not even looking at me anymore. he's looking at this tape recorder on the table. >> pat just says jeremy just stood up and started talking about the ride in the car with michelle. >> it was around -- around february, around midnight, maybe 1:00 in the morning or something. i went to the texaco station. she asked me was i waiting on the phone.

and i said, "no, i need a ride." we go past the old trailer park where i used to live at with my grandparents. so i tell her to turn off in the road. it's a -- behind the little trees is a lake. i says, "this is where people come to make out at." she goes, "i'm married." and i went, reached in, grabbed my cigarettes. and then out of my pocket fell a seven-inch knife. she went into a panic and started screaming and hitting. next thing i know, i lost it. i done stabbed her. i don't know how many times. and i'm like panicking now, because i don't know what just happened. >> and he said, "i just remember

i dragged her body down to the water. and i think i covered it. and then i got up, and i took her car up to get away." >> it was along this stretch of highway that jeremy scott says michelle's car broke down. he says after cleaning up the evidence, he walked half a mile up the road to that overpass where he disposed of the murder weapon. >> i didn't mean to kill michelle schofield. i never intended to do any harm. i've been holding this confession for a long time. >> let me just say this. i didn't know michelle, but i've lived with michelle for

31 years. when he describes killing her, it's a horrific thing ever to have to hear and to know it's true. and to know it happened. >> this confession leads to a momentous event. there was a hearing to determine whether or not leo should get a new trial. >> and jeremy scott takes the stand. >> everybody was on pins and needles, because jeremy, you never know what you're getting. >> my name is jeremy scott. >> but he sticks with his story. >> do you recall having interaction with michelle schofield that night? >> i made a statement. i ain't got nothing else to say. they keep pulling me out of prison for this [ bleep ]. i'm confessing to the murder. >> on cross examination, the prosecutor pointed out multiple times over the years where jeremy scott denied any role in michelle's murder, as well as certain details that he could

not recall or got wrong in his testimony, such as the clothes michelle wore that night. >> and then at one point, she shows the autopsy pictures. and he's visually disturbed by them. >> you take a look at this, mr. scott. look at it! >> i done seen it before. >> see it again! i didn't hear that answer. >> no. i didn't do that! >> they took that as a flip flop, that he recanted. >> no one wants to look at photos of dead people. is that correct? >> no. >> and you feel ashamed at doing it, don't you? >> yes, sir. >> that's why you gave that answer? >> i killed her. >> there was no doubt that he said that. >> we were definitely convinced the judge would bang the gavel, and that would be it.

>> but leo's hopes are dashed. when the opinion comes out, the judge doesn't find jeremy scott to be credible, and he finds there's not enough evidence to grant leo a new trial. >> i don't like to think about it, because it hurts. almost like they're keeping him away on purpose. and i don't know why. >> i mean, i understand the jeremy evidence, but lord, are they ignoring the 18-wheeler worth of evidence that says he did it? leo schofield should never see sunlight unless it's filtered through razor wire and barbwire ever again. >> it's now september 2021, and gilbert king interviews jeremy scott in prison for his podcast. >> hi, jeremy.

i'm gilbert king, the guy you've been writing with. >> what were you hoping to learn from him? >> he admitted to us that he was tortured by these murders that he committed. >> and he has a message for leo schofield. >> yeah. >> as far as leo, leo innocent. that man ain't do nothing. he's innocent. >> i --i'm convoluted in my spirit. you know obviously i -- i've known that he's confessed. i -- i haven't heard any of his confession. i promised i'm not gonna do this. i'm sorry. >> jeremy scott continues to claim responsibility for michelle's murder, but it's leo

who is still serving a life sentence in prison. >> at this point, leo is out of legal avenues to get a new trial. but he potentially can be up for parole. >> today in tallahassee, a parole board will decide the fate of leo schofield. >> i want people to believe in me. i want the parole commission to believe in me. >> this one is it. it should be it. >> he's a coldblooded, unrepentant murderer. he deserves no breaks. >> commissioners, this man does not deserve one more night in prison. you just never know. you see things online, you just don't know if they're going to work. is this going to be powerful enough, and i'm actually going to see substantial results from it. my dermatologist recommended nutrafol, and it's 100% drug—free and clinically tested. within three months, my hair is fuller. it's longer, it's thicker. it's so nice to be noticed for my hair

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♪ in september of 2022, leo's story went nationwide. >> the story of a man serving life in prison for a crime he may not have committed.

>> "20/20" is all new tonight, looking into a florida husband's conviction in his wife's murder. >> his case was recently covered in a crime podcast, "bone valley." >> what was the public's response to leo's story? >> almost immediately, you started to get people feeling emotional about it and feeling invested in who leo is as a person. >> shaking with rage. >> he didn't do it. >> obvious and glaring issues in the case. >> michelle truax, michelle schofield's best friend, tells us that after hearing jeremy scott's confession, she now firmly believes leo schofield was wrongly convicted. another key believer, judge scott cupp, who does something totally unexpected. in january 2023, you resigned from the bench. why? >> i finally made the decision that i'm going to step off and go back to being his lawyer and representing him at the parole hearing. >> you had a comfortable life. nine years you'd been on the bench. >> it sounds too, i don't know, too trite, too self-effacing,

but it was the right thing to do. because this guy's innocent, get him out. >> we are in tallahassee, florida, the night before parole hearing. >> dear heavenly father, lord of all -- >> this is the fourth time that i've done this, and every time, i'm hopeful. this time, more hopeful than ever before. >> -- we pray this in your son, christ's name. amen. >> i really need it to happen. >> in may 2023, leo's up for parole. before that, what had his experience been like? >> he's just had all these parole hearings for the last decade that have gone nowhere. mainly because he refuses to express remorse for a crime that he didn't commit. just having his story be out there, this time it made a difference, i think. >> all right, i'll go ahead and call this meeting to order for the full commission. if everyone could please take your seat.

>> leo's not invited. the three people that are making the decision about him don't talk to him. they've never met him. he can't even listen in. >> people assume that the inmates, the person seeking parole is present. they're not. somebody can speak on their behalf. good morning, commissioners. my name is scott cupp. i'm an attorney representing leo schofield. the first thing i would like you to hear from is a letter written by jesse saum, who's michelle schofield's brother. >> i felt compelled to write the letter to the parole officers because i wanted to voice my opinion. >> "over the years, i've done some research and have found many inconsistencies and discrepancies in the investigation and the trial." >> i am still convinced that leo isn't the one that -- that killed michelle. >> at this time, i would like to have senator jonathan martin speak. >> he oversees the prisons and the parole commission. so to have somebody like that come in with that stature, it became a very powerful part of

the hearing. >> everything that i've seen about this case turns my stomach. i don't know why leo schofield wasn't released years ago. >> innocent, innocent, innocent. that's been an elephant in the room way too long. what i'm asking you to do is to search your heart. this man does not deserve one more night in prison. >> we're going to now move to opposition. >> who represented the state? >> jacob orr, who's the chief assistant state attorney. >> there's overwhelming evidence in support of the guilty verdict that was handed down many years ago. he's been a very good inmate. but you know the law doesn't allow being a good inmate alone to allow for release. >> michelle's other brother, ricky saum, calls in. >> people have asked me, did leo kill my sister? and i believe in god, and i believe in the courts. and the courts got it right.

>> he expressed the other side, was that he didn't want to see the murderer of his sister paroled. >> our role is not to determine guilt or innocence. however, our job is to look at a person's overall record and determine whether or not they are suitable for parole. so our final decision is to move mr. schofield's case to 2024. >> the subject of the "bone valley" podcast has been denied parole again in his wife's murder. >> people aren't going to be happy with this verdict. they're going to get a lot of pushback for this. >> and at the end of the day, the parole board did decide to deny parole but with an important caveat -- they would put leo in a new facility, a facility designed to see whether or not someone is ready for parole. >> that's not what we wanted at all. but it's movement. it could have been way worse. hey, it's crissie. >> chrissie calls leo to give him the news.

he takes it in stride. >> we've been walking in a tunnel in utter darkness for 35 years. we have never had a light at the end of this tunnel, ever. a big, bright light was lit. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america -- >> the first case that we're calling is item 22 on page 12, leo schofield. >> leo went to a facility. >> in 2024, leo has another opportunity for parole. people show up in full force. >> among the people who spoke on leo's behalf, a prison guard? >> yeah. >> my name is sergeant james simmons. my professional opinion, leo schofield would make a great candidate for parole. >> the state appeared. they didn't really talk about leo.

instead, they called out the media. >> whatever decision you make, don't base it on media accounts set to dramatic music, base it on truth. >> thank you, mr. orr. we'll proceed with the votes. >> today, my vote is to parole mr. schofield. >> my vote today is to parole to the max. >> my vote would be to parole. >> the top story this money after nearly 35 years behind bars, the parole board voted to release leo schofield. >> leo is only going to have to spend then more days in prison, then hell be out. >> it's -- it's hard to put into words, the level of emotion that i feel right now. ♪ i could lead you home ♪ >> leo was potentially going to spend the rest of his life in prison. but this is a chance to live the life that he has been denied. >> i haven't been able to see my dad since he's been out of prison. today, i get to see him, and i'm so ready, so excited.

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♪ today is the day leo's going to walk out of prison. >> cars filled with friends and family members line up behind us. we're all peering through the dark. >> just a few weeks ago, leo schofield, now 58 years old, was released from prison after 36 years behind bars. >> i'm like, "okay, so they're going to let me go." opened the front gate, and i went through it. it was incredible. >> i saw him come around the building, and the most magical moment of my life. it was unbelievable.

it was just so, so fantastic. after all these years and dreaming and hoping and waiting. >> hi, baby. >> hey. >> it was just the most magical experience of my life. >> he's released, and you get to hug him. what was that like? >> it still is the hardest and longest hug of my life. i mean, he just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. and i found myself, you know, just grabbing him too. >> for the next year, leo will live at this halfway house, and he now has a remote job working in customer service. >> hey, leo. >> hey, john, nice to meet you. come in. >> thank you. thank you for inviting us. >> yes, sir. and this here is my bedroom. as you can see, it's my playroom, actually. >> leo's never really held a cell phone in his hand before.

he didn't know how to do email and text messaging, and all of this had to be taught to him. >> so much has changed in the world since you were in. >> yes, absolutely. almost everything. and then they got these things called emojis. and i'm like, "they express." my daughter was sending me emails the first day i was out. i got all these different faces, and i'm supposed to be able to interpret that stuff. >> when i caught up with leo, he told me he was not going to take any moment for granted. >> i mean, look at how far away that is. that is -- >> miles and miles. >> miles and miles that i get to see. no fences, no walls, no bars. >> it resonates. it touches you so much. >> yeah, it does. i'm missing 36 years' worth of moments.

i'm not going to miss another 36 years. >> i am about to go to my mom's birthday party with my dad for the first time. this is actually my first time seeing him since he's been here at the halfway house, so a lot of emotions, and i'm really excited. >> leo's daughter ashley has only known her father within the confines of prison walls. these are their family portraits. ♪ i'm untameable i am free ♪ >> one, two, three, smile! >> this is our first family photo not in prison. ♪ happy birthday to you happy birthday to you

♪ >> i really get to have my dad. i can hug him when i'm sad and upset or mad or angry. he gets to be there now. >> as a grandfather, i couldn't ask for a better male role model in my son's life. >> but the happiness is often short-lived. >> we don't get to have the magic honeymoon, the glorious experience that one would think. it's wonderful that he's out. but he's not free. this isn't over. >> he's a convicted murderer, and he's on parole. there's a whole bunch of stuff he can't do and he won't ever be able to do unless he gets exonerated. and it's just not justice. 'cause he's innocent.

♪ >> do you want exoneration? >> not only do i want exoneration. i deserve exoneration. i should have never been in the prison to begin with. >> leo says his faith has given him the strength to not only fight for himself but also for his late wife michelle. how often do you think of michelle? >> every single day. every single day. this is not yet complete justice for her. and she deserves justice. she deserves better than this. >> deborah: leo schofield is in the process of writing a book and hopes sharing his story will help in criminal justice reform. >> david: we should mention for more on leo's release, you can listen to a bonus episode of "the bone valley" podcast. i'm david muir. >> deborah: i'm deborah roberts. from all of us here at "20/20"

and abc news, good night. a sudden about face at stanford, students who want admission will have to do something. the renowned school hasn't required since the start of the pandemic, and not everyone is happy about it. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. a big change tonight to the admissions process at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. stanford is going to once again require applicants to take the sat or act. the requirement was droppedou