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The Case of Leon Benson
📻 Episode #572
🎙️ Hosted by Guest Host Kemba Smith
📅 Apr 30, 2026
About This Episode
On August 8th, 1998, 25-year-old Kasey Schoen was shot and killed while sitting in his car in Indianapolis, IN. A few days later, a man approached officers and told them that he saw 22-year-old Leon Benson shoot the victim. A single eyewitness identified Leon as the shooter out of a photo lineup, despite the fact…
The Case
On August 8th, 1998, 25-year-old Kasey Schoen was shot and killed while sitting in his car in Indianapolis, IN. A few days later, a man approached officers and told them that he saw 22-year-old Leon Benson shoot the victim. A single eyewitness identified Leon as the shooter out of a photo lineup, despite the fact that he did not match the eyewitness's initial description of the shooter. Leon was ultimately sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder, even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and the main witness against him tried to recant their testimony.
Guest host, Kemba Smith, talks to Leon Benson and Lara Bazelon, Leon's attorney.
Organization of Exonerees
The Streets Don't Love You Back
Go to Die Jim Crow Records to support prison impacted musicians, including Leon Benson's (El Bently 448) album "Innocent Born Guilty".
Petition for Demetrius Burks
In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:05:18“Speaker 1: Flynt And this was also the neighborhood where the crime Speaker 1: took place. Laura, can you tell us something about the Speaker 1: area kind of set the stage for what happened that night? Speaker 4: Indianapolis, the downtown part of it where this crime took place,”
00:20:53“Speaker 2: That's how I felt. Speaker 3: It was a clear line drawn, and I got the Speaker 3: raff of a lie that energy. Speaker 2: I felt some nasty energy in there. It was nasty. Speaker 3: But when they came back and said a mistrial, I”
00:35:57“Speaker 3: be the name Yahweh. That's what I did when I Speaker 3: got out. I see my sister Valerie, and I heard Speaker 3: my brother's voice, and I see my daughters, and I Speaker 3: seen all my people who looked at like angels to Speaker 3: me when they sat right there and they was looking”
Listen to the Episode
🎧 Listen on Omny / the podcast's platforms
Resources & links from the episode:
- organizationofexonerees.com
- thestreetsdontloveyouback.ning.com
- www.diejimcrow.com
- www.diejimcrow.com
- www.change.org
- www.kembamovie.com
Share this case, follow the organisations working on it, and support the podcast's fight for the innocent at lavaforgood.com.
← #571 Marvin Anderson #573 Patrick Brown →
Also on the podcast: #162 False Confessions - Henry McCollum and Leon Brown · #339 Garland Leon “Butch” Martin · #374 False Confessions - Henry McCollum and Leon Brown