When Kasey Schoen was fatally murdered in the street on August 8, 1998, the Indiana city of Indianapolis witnessed a horrifying crime. There were several witnesses to the murder, which made the investigation difficult, but the police were confident they had apprehended the real killer. The third season of the podcast “Suspect” walks viewers through the horrific murder and the accompanying police inquiry into it. Let’s investigate the specifics of the crime to learn more, shall we?
How Did Kasey Schoen Die?
Kasey Schoen, a citizen of Indianapolis, Indiana, was only 25 years old when he passed away. anyone who knew Kasey characterised him as a dedicated and giving person who treated everyone with kindness and was always willing to help anyone in need, despite the fact that he had wonderful relationships with his family and friends. Also well-known for his friendliness and lack of known enemies, he made an effort to maintain friendships with everyone. Additionally, according to accounts, Kasey had lofty goals for the future, but they were destroyed by a shocking murder.
While August 8, 1998, began as any other day, Kasey stopped his truck on 14th Street near Pennsylvania Street in Indianapolis while he was returning home at night. As Kasey slouched forward on the wheel, five subsequent gunshots pierced the night’s silence, startling spectators. People quickly gathered around the truck and some even attempted to approach Kasey, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, but it was already too late. First responders were forced to pronounce the 25-year-old dead since he was already haemorrhaging heavily from his gunshot wounds. After an autopsy, it was discovered that Kasey had been shot five times from close range before she passed away.
Who Killed Kasey Schoen?
Due to the lack of appropriate leads, the early investigation into Kasey’s murder was quite difficult. The detectives realised that Kasey’s truck was still running with his foot on the break and the gearbox in drive, indicating that the victim had no intention of stopping at the location where he was shot, even though a thorough search of the crime scene produced no evidence that could point to an immediate suspect. Plus, Kasey’s friends and family maintained that no one would wish to harm him in such a horrible way because the 25-year-old had no known enemies.
However, when a woman carrying newspapers to a vending machine approximately 150 feet from the crime site approached them, the investigators made their first substantial progress. The woman asserted she was an eyewitness to the murder and claimed to have seen a dark-skinned Black person pull a gun and shoot Kasey Schoen five times. She also seemed confident enough to recognise the offender, picking out Leon Benson from a lineup of pictures as the offender. On the other hand, a different eyewitness claimed she spotted a career criminal by the name of Joseph Webster at the crime scene, and police reports revealed that they had detained him in the same neighbourhood with a revolver and several pounds of cocaine. However, despite the fact that the handgun’s calibre matched the one used to kill Kasey Schoen, Joseph’s involvement in the slaying was never looked into. Instead, because they viewed Leon Benson as the case’s top suspect, law enforcement officers concentrated their attention on him.
Surprisingly, Leon wasn’t connected to the crime by anything other than the newspaper woman choosing him from a series of photos. Leon was said to be incapable of doing such a heinous murder by those who knew him, and detectives were unable to link him to the crime despite their search for forensic proof. Though the investigation was moving slowly, the authorities were forced to use the original photographic identification, so they detained Leon before accusing him of killing Kasey.
Where Is Leon Benson Now?
Leon defended his innocence and entered a not guilty plea when he was called to testify in court. The woman who initially recognised the defendant from a lineup recognised that Leon was lighter-skinned than the person she saw at the crime scene, even though the prosecution had no physical or forensic evidence against him. Nevertheless, the jury’s decision to find Leon guilty of murder and sentence him to 61 years in jail in 1999 was not significantly affected by that testimony.
Leon maintained his innocence throughout his stay in prison and even filed a petition to have his sentence overturned. Leon stated he even had to spend nine years in solitary prison and had nothing but his faith to fall back on. His love for his daughter Koby Bluitt, though, helped him get through the difficult times. After hearing his pleas, a judge eventually released him in March 2023 after examining his case and clearing him of all charges. Despite the fact that Leon is currently at large and residing in Indianapolis, Indiana with his family, the evidence that led to his exoneration suggests that the true murderer was probably someone else. But as of this writing, no one has been taken into custody and Kasey Schoen’s murder is still unsolved.
