EXCLUSIVE: Bone Valley, the podcast that explores the innocence of Leo Schofield, who has served nearly 35 years for the murder of his wife, despite another man confessing to the crime, is set to be turned into a scripted television series.
The podcast comes from Lava for Good, the company founded by record executive-turned-activist Jason Flom and Jeff Kempler, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King.
It is now being developed as a series with Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment and Primary Wave Music. Dana Stevens (The Woman King) will adapt.
Written and hosted by King along with producer and researcher Kelsey Decker, the podcast chronicles the story of Schofield, the Central Florida man who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for killing his wife, Michelle. Schofield has spent over three decades in prison — even after another incarcerated man, Jeremy Scott, confessed in detail to the crime.
The attention that 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. A new parole hearing date has been set for later this month.
The podcast has been downloaded over 10M times and topping the podcast charts. It 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 Viola Davis-fronted feature that Stevens wrote. Its next film is Amazon’s The Idea Of You, which comes out in May and stars 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 businesses 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’s also a book deal and a second season of the podcast. King and Decker are reteaming for the second season and the book, written by King, will be published by Flatiron, a division of Macmillan, in 2025.
“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.”