• Leon Benson was born in 1974 in Flint, Michigan, where he was raised in a working-class household. As a child, he attended: Source
• Civic Park Elementary School
• Longwood Middle School
• Northern High School

Benson spent his early years surrounded by hardship and economic instability, experiences that would later shape his perspective as a writer and advocate. He eventually moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, seeking opportunity and independence.

Wrongful Arrest and Conviction:

July 12, 1998

• Webster had been arrested on July 12, 1998, with 40 rocks of cocaine and a .380 firearm the same caliber used in the shooting.

August 8, 1998

• 3:30 a.m. – Kasey Schoen, a 24-year-old white man, is shot five times execution-style while sitting in his idling truck near the curb on the 1300 block of N. Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Indianapolis.
• The shooter flees on foot.
• No murder weapon is recovered.
• No fingerprints, DNA, or forensic evidence are found.
• Witnesses describe the suspect only as a Black male.
• Newspaper delivery worker Christy Schmitt witnesses the shooting but cannot hear the conversation preceding it.
• She attempts to call 911 and sees the shooter walking away, then firing again before fleeing on foot.
• She later identifies Benson in a photo lineup, despite physical differences.

August 9, 1998

• Multiple witnesses place Benson across the street, inside the Priscilla Apartments, during the time of the shooting.
• Police receive tips implicating another man, Joseph Webster, known as “Looney,” who had a .380-caliber handgun just hours before the murder.

August 10, 1998

• Det. Alan Jones receives a tip from Det. Randy West: a confidential informant links “Looney” (Webster) to the shooting. Webster had been arrested on July 12, 1998, with 40 rocks of cocaine and a .380 firearm—the same caliber used in the shooting. A prior description of Webster’s clothing (black jacket with two white stripes) is consistent with the shooter’s description. 
• Mariann Crosswright, The Academy Apartments manager reports that residents are saying “Looney” committed the crime.

August 11, 1998

• Police locate Joseph Webster in court. He refuses to speak.
• Donald Brooks approaches police, claiming the shooter is “Detroit” (Leon Benson).
• Detective Jones shows Christy Schmitt two photo arrays:
• She does not identify Webster.
• She identifies Benson, though he was light-skinned and had a mustache, unlike the shooter she previously described.
• Benson is interrogated and arrested. He says he was at the Priscilla Apartments.

August 14, 1998

• Jones locates Donald Brooks mentally ill, with a criminal record and a grudge against Benson (a.k.a. “Detroit”). Brooks claims Benson is the shooter. 
• Brooks tells another officer that Benson is in the 1300 block of N. New Jersey Street.
• Benson is arrested by Indianapolis police.

August 15, 1998

• Jail inmate Dakarai Fulton tells police Joseph Webster was the shooter. 
• Fulton says Webster was carrying a .380-caliber gun before the murder.
• Fulton’s description of Webster’s clothing matches Schmitt’s.
• Fulton identifies Webster in a photo lineup.
• Police ignore his statement and do not include it in official reports.

August 17, 1998

• Donald Brooks is re-interviewed and again implicates Webster. He identifies Webster in a photo array.
• Jones fails to document this interview or share the results.
• Note in the file mentions attempt to locate witness Ladara Brewster about “Joseph Webster as second defendant.” No follow-up recorded.

August 23, 1998

• Det. West faxes Det. Jones a note stating that a man named “Eddie” witnessed Webster shoot Schoen and brag about it to his ex-girlfriend.
• This note is never disclosed to the defense.

August 24, 1998

• Webster’s girlfriend, Latasha Sheppard, reports that her .380-caliber handgun was stolen from her car.
• An anonymous Crime Stoppers tip says Webster used her gun to kill Schoen and gives Webster’s location.
• This information is suppressed.

August 25, 1998

• Crime Stoppers tip: “Joseph Webster shot and killed Kasey Schoen,” using Sheppard’s gun. Provides Webster’s address.

August 26, 1998

• Second Crime Stoppers tip confirms Webster was the shooter, using girlfriend’s gun.

August 27, 1998

• Jones writes that no charges filed against second suspect (Webster), but clears the case with Benson’s arrest.

September 9, 1998

• Kenneth Brookings tells Sgt. Roy West his girlfriend Sherita Smith participated in a “hustle” with a white man (Schoen), implying Looney (Webster) was the co-conspirator. No follow-up by police.

Trial & Conviction

May 24, 1999

• Benson’s first trial

May 26, 1999

• First trial ends in a mistrial: Jury deadlocked (6 not guilty, 1 undecided, 5 guilty).

July 6–9, 1999

• Second trial begins:
• Brooks claims memory loss but his full police statement is read into evidence, including an unsubstantiated claim that Benson once robbed him.
• Benson’s defense attorney fails to call key witnesses like Fulton and Gaither.
• A woman testifies seeing Benson in the Priscilla Apartments after the gunshots, but is accused (without evidence) of trading sex for drugs.
• Prosecution introduces a photo lineup ID and circumstantial argument, no forensic proof.
• Leon Benson is convicted of first-degree murder and illegal firearm possession.
• Sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Incarceration

1999–2010s

• Benson serves 25 years, including 11 years in solitary confinement.
• No DNA, no fingerprints, no weapon, and no motive ever tied him to the crime.
• During incarceration:
• Self-educates in philosophy, political theory, and African history.
• Becomes a musician, recording as El Bently 448.
• Produces music covertly from prison, including “INNOCENT BORN GUILTY”.
• Gains recognition as a writer and justice advocate.

Re-investigation & Legal Review:

2016

• Post-conviction petition for ineffective counsel is denied.

2021

January 2021

Marion County Prosecutor’s Office launches Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU). Benson’s case is one of the first accepted.

• CIU is formally created by Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
• Benson’s case is accepted.
• USF RJC joins the re-investigation team.

July 2021

• Attorneys Lara Bazelon and Charlie Nelson Keever begin collaborating with CIU’s Kelly Bauder.

2022

• Re-investigation uncovers 77 pages of police notes never turned over to the defense.
• Notes show that key leads about Joseph Webster were ignored.
• Witness Fulton’s ID of Webster was excluded from trial.
• Surveillance footage was never obtained or reviewed.
• A police officer signs a sworn declaration admitting that “critical exculpatory evidence” was withheld.
• Witness positioning proves Brooks could not have seen the shooting as he claimed.

December 2022

• Benson petitions the Marion County Superior Court for post-conviction relief.

Exoneration:

March 8, 2023

• Judge Shatrese Flowers vacates Benson’s conviction and dismisses the charges.

March 9, 2023

• Leon Benson is released from prison after 25 years.
• Celebrates freedom with his legal team:
• “It is so surreal. I just walked out of prison, literally, a few hours ago.”
• Prosecutors acknowledge his innocence and concede the case was wrongful.

Post-Exoneration Life:

March 2023 – June 2023

• IMPD Sgt. Columbus Ricks contacts Kolleen Bunch (Schoen’s sister), makes false and defamatory statements claiming Benson is still guilty and the CIU’s investigation was politically motivated.
• Ricks attempts to turn the family against the CIU, defends IPD’s handling of the case, and denies that Benson’s rights were violated.
• Ricks falsely claims exculpatory evidence was disclosed, calls CIU “dishonest,” and blames Benson’s release on “California lawyers.”
• Jones is falsely described by Ricks as a stroke victim in a nursing home, but he was still living independently as of June 2023.

March 2023 – Present

• Enrolls in Wayne State University as a philosophy student.
• Continues advocacy as a public speaker, writer, and artist.
• Releases music and essays on wrongful convictions and mass incarceration.
• Works with Exonerated Nation and reentry programs.

2023–2024

• Featured by NPR, ABC News, The Guardian, and other national outlets.
• Supports guaranteed income and trauma-informed justice reforms.
• Assists recently released individuals in reintegration efforts.

Civil Rights Lawsuit

May 20, 2024

• Leon Benson and Kolleen Bunch (victim’s sister) file a federal lawsuit against:
• The City of Indianapolis
• Five IMPD officers
• Accuse officials of fabricating, manipulating, and withholding exculpatory evidence that pointed to Joseph Webster as the real killer.
• Lawsuit claims Benson’s constitutional rights were violated, leading to wrongful conviction and decades of unjust imprisonment.

Key Issues in Benson’s Case

• Eyewitness Misidentification: A flawed photo lineup led to a false ID.
• Suppressed Exculpatory Evidence: Critical tips, witness accounts, and police notes were never shared with the defense.
• Prosecutorial Misconduct: No forensic evidence was used; prosecutors relied on a single, discredited witness.
• Solitary Confinement: Benson spent 11 years in isolation, known to cause lasting psychological harm.

Court Records:

📂 Uncovered Police Notes Source

During the 2021–2023 reinvestigation led by the University of San Francisco Racial Justice Clinic and the Marion County Conviction Integrity Unit, investigators discovered that detectives had withheld dozens of critical pages of notes from both the defense and prosecution in the original 1999 trial.

Key findings included:

• 77 pages of handwritten notes from Detective Alan Jones were never disclosed.

Among those notes:

• A tip from a man named West, who reported that an individual named Eddie had witnessed Joseph Webster commit the murder.
• Webster had allegedly bragged to his ex-girlfriend Jamie about the shooting.
• None of this evidence was shared with the prosecutor or Benson’s defense attorney during the trial.

Evidence Suppressed:

August 1998

• Following Kasey Schoen’s murder, multiple leads pointed to Joseph Webster—not Leon Benson. However, this information was never disclosed to Benson’s defense team and was also withheld from prosecutors. These are the key revelations uncovered during the 2021–2023 reinvestigation:

August 15, 1998 – Jailhouse Eyewitness Identifies Webster

• Dakarai Fulton, incarcerated at Marion County Jail on drug charges, contacts Detective Alan Jones.
• Fulton tells Jones he witnessed the shooting and identifies Joseph Webster in a photo lineup.

He describes the shooter’s clothing as:

• Black jogging pants with three white stripes
• A dark shirt
• This matches a description previously given by witness Christy Schmitt.
• Fulton also reports that less than 12 hours before the murder, he saw Webster carrying a .380-caliber handgun—the type believed to be used in the murder.
• None of this information was disclosed to Benson’s attorney.

August 23, 1998 – Detective West Faxes Tip Implicating Webster

• Detective West sends a handwritten fax to Detective Jones, reporting that:
• A confidential informant said Webster “runs with Eddie aka Bo” and that Eddie witnessed Webster shoot a white male in the head.
• Webster had bragged about the murder to his ex-girlfriend, who lived at Academy Apartments (where Webster frequently hung out).
• The note contains specific references to witnesses, location, and confessions.
• This fax was never disclosed to either the defense or prosecution.

August 24, 1998 – Gun Ownership and Crime Stoppers Tip Ignored

• Webster’s girlfriend, Latasha Sheppard, reports that her .380-caliber handgun was stolen from her car sometime between August 1 and August 11—days before the shooting.
• This matches the caliber used to kill Kasey Schoen.
• Police never disclosed this firearm report to the defense.

That same day:

• An anonymous tip is phoned in to Crime Stoppers.
• The caller states “Joseph Webster shot and killed Kasey Schoen.”
• The tipster provides Webster’s home address (where he was living with Sheppard) and claims the gun used belonged to Sheppard.
• This Crime Stoppers tip and the gun ownership report were never shared with Benson’s defense team.

Ignored Surveillance Footage

Detective Jones’s notes also revealed major investigative failures:

• He wrote that 12 surveillance cameras were mounted on a church next to the crime scene, but he never reviewed the footage.
• He also viewed surveillance footage from the nearby Academy Apartments, but claimed it was “too poor” in quality to copy—yet failed to preserve or analyze it.

 Eyewitness Credibility Undermined

One of the state’s key witnesses in 1999, Robert Brooks, claimed to have seen the shooting from a second-story apartment window.

• The reinvestigation proved Brooks could not have seen the incident due to obstructive trees and foliage outside his window.
• His vantage point did not provide a clear line of sight to the crime scene on North Pennsylvania Avenue.

Joseph Webster: Alternate Suspect and Informant

The same reinvestigation also exposed Joseph Webster’s deep involvement in federal criminal investigations—casting further doubt on the original case against Benson.

Federal Informant

Years after the Schoen murder, Joseph Webster became an FBI informant.

• In 2017, he was arrested with a large quantity of drugs and faced federal charges.
• To avoid prosecution, he agreed to work with FBI Special Agent Kerry Inglis as a confidential informant.

Operation Electric Avenue

• Webster participated in “Operation Electric Avenue,” a federal investigation targeting a massive Indianapolis drug trafficking ring.
• He wore a wire and recorded multiple drug deals with members of the Grundy Crew, allegedly run by Richard Grundy III.
• He testified in federal court in 2019 during the trial of Ezelle Neville, one of Grundy’s top associates.

Federal Trial Outcome

• In December 2019, Neville, Grundy, and three other co-defendants were convicted of trafficking over $3 million worth of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.

Sentences:

• Ezelle Neville: 30 years
• Richard Grundy III: Life in prison
• Joseph Webster was never charged for his own drug possession.