Show Notes
The brutal 1988 murder of 83-year-old Kalamazoo bike shop owner Earl O’Byrne is shocking. Earl is a fixture in the community who has sold just about every kid in town their first bicycle. Despite numerous tips, the case goes cold. But over a decade later Scott Baldwin is arrested by the newly formed Cold Case Team and is convicted of killing Earl. Scott is adamant he didn’t do it and now, 25 years later, he’s afraid he will die from the cancer spreading through his body before the truth is uncovered. Susan Simpson, Jacinda Davis, and Kevin Fitzpatrick race against the clock to find out what really happened before it’s too late for Scott – what they didn't expect to uncover is a web of troubling convictions that expands far beyond the case of this one defendant.
Visit our website at proofcrimepod.com.
Follow us on social media. On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we are @proofcrimepod.
Listener questions or tips about any of the cases we cover are welcome @[email protected].
Sponsor Deals:
Go to Quince.com/proof for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Go to GREENCHEF.com/proofgraza and use code proofgraza to get started with 50% off Green Chef + FREE Graza Olive Oil Set in your 2nd and 3rd boxes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Proof: A True Crime Podcast
On today’s Sidebar, we talk to Eric Anderson, who was a college freshman when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree armed robbery, assault and illegal use of a weapon. Despite having an alibi—and video showing he was elsewhere at the time of the robbery—Eric was found guilty and sentenced to 15 to 22 years in prison. He fought to prove his innocence, and with the help of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, his conviction was overturned in 2019. Today, Eric works with the Organization of Exonerees, helping others who have faced similar injustices.
LaVone Hill spent 22 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit. While incarcerated, he met Scott Baldwin, and the two bonded over walks in the yard, sharing case law. In October 2024, LaVone was exonerated—his conviction vacated, and his freedom restored. On this week’s Sidebar, LaVone shares his story, reflects on his friendship with Scott, and describes what it meant to stand in the courtroom as an exoneree at Scott’s resentencing.
Scott Baldwin knew he wasn’t alone—he believed there were others like him who had been wrongfully convicted. In this third season of Proof, we heard many of those stories, along with a shocking revelation about why a key witness never testified in one of Kalamazoo’s most horrific murder cases.
In the final episode of Proof: Murder at the Bike Shop, the team uncovers letters and documents suggesting a conspiracy that may have reached the highest levels of Kalamazoo’s legal system—one aimed at preventing a key eyewitness from testifying in one of the county's most horrific murder trials. Nearly two decades later, what does this mean for the five Polderman defendants?
Two tips that were never investigated could have changed everything in Scott Baldwin’s case. It’s too late for Scott—but not for the truth. Susan, Jacinda, and Kevin reflect on his final days—and the frustration of knowing the evidence that could have proven his innocence was there all along. In searching for answers, the team may have uncovered evidence that could help other Cold Case defendants.