Forum
2-19-08
Hang in there Leo and Crissie. I have a feeling God just sent you guys an angel to bring Leo home.
MMJ
9-2-07
A retrial is in order
(Letter to the Editor)
Thank you for publishing the excellent article about Leo Schofield, so ably produced and written by Meg Laughlin and Don Morris. I am grateful to you for making the facts known about the whole matter of Schofield's trial and conviction.
When I was a boy, my mother taught me to trust and respect police officers, and I have done that all my life. My mother also told me that police officers always wanted to do "the right thing."
While police officers are due our respect, your article shows that the trust we invest in those in authority must always be given with a reasonable amount of skepticism. It would seem that those who served on the jury that convicted Schofield of murder failed to employ even that amount of skepticism. Moreover, one might feel some uncertainty about Polk County prosecutor John Aguero's intention to do "the right thing" where Schofield was concerned. Of course, the fingerprint evidence is the most significant piece of the long list of injustices.
It would seem reasonable to think that Aguero would recognize the egregious injustice of Leo Schofield's first trial, and do "the right thing" by asking for a new one, based on the evidence brought to light by Laughlin and Morris. Is that too much to expect?
Ralph N. Madison Jr., St. Petersburg
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