Scott lived less than two miles from where Michelle’s body was found.

“He was off the radar, but he shouldn’t have been,” said King. “… When they found those fingerprints in the car that didn’t match anybody like Leo or Michelle, they should have gone to known suspects in the area, and they never did that. These fingerprints remained mysterious for 17 years until they finally came back to Jeremy.”

Due to a lack of forensic technology at the time, the fingerprints couldn’t be matched until 2004. They belonged to Scott. King said that initially, Scott denied having anything to do with Michelle’s murder, claiming he had only stolen the stereo speakers from her car.

“Six years after he denied killing Michelle, he came out and wrote a letter to Leo’s lawyer, saying, ‘I’m the one that did this. You got the wrong guy in prison,’” said King. “That’s when he started talking about it in 2016.”

“He said to me, ‘That man never belonged in prison. I took his life away from him,’” said King. “He felt bad about that. … I think he’s one of those people who is trying to do something right with what little time he has left on Earth. He’s never going to be outside the prison walls.”

The New York Times reported that Scott had confessed to the murder “a number of times.” 

“[Scott] spoke out before and nobody believed him,” said King. “They just beat him up on the stand and said he was a liar and unreliable. . . . I think that stayed with him. He’s thinking, ‘I’m trying to do the right thing here. I’m confessing to a murder.’ And the state instead just decided to attack his credibility.”

“But I reached out to him,” said King. “I said, ‘I’m willing to listen. I believe that you’re telling the truth.’ We spoke many times, and I’ve continued to stay in touch with him. He’s never wavered from what he’s told me. He’s never wavered from his confession.”

During his time in prison, Schofield immersed himself in faith. He mentored fellow inmates. He also found love again. He married Crissie Carter, a social worker he met while serving time, in 1995.

According to The New York Times, the state hasn’t moved forward on additional murder charges against Scott. 

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd wrote: “The jury found Leo Schofield guilty of murdering Michelle Schofield. Multiple courts have upheld that verdict.” 

The outlet shared that Schofield is currently working to overturn his conviction. If denied, he could be on parole for another four to six years.

“Being on the outside, you’re reminded that you’re not free – that’s what Leo’s life is like,” said King. “… He was offered two deals that would’ve had him out of prison in the early ‘90s if he would’ve just taken them. He refused. He said, ‘It’s much easier for me to serve time than it is for me to admit something I didn’t do.’”

“Leo is trying to get that exoneration – that’s his life today,” said King. “Fortunately, there are some very powerful people in Florida who also believe him and are fighting for him, too. I have hope for him. I really think something is going to happen.”