'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
CBS 48 Hours will air its upcoming episode titled The Case Against Michael Politte on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at 10 pm ET. It will tackle the controversial case that has made headlines for its unusual character for over two decades now.
Michael Politte, 38, was recently released from prison after serving over two decades for a crime he claims he did not commit. Now his defense has rock-solid arguments to back that up.
In December 1998, at the age of 14, Michael was arrested for his mother Rita Politte's grisly murder. She was brutally bludgeoned and set on fire inside the house while Michael and his friend slept in a nearby room.
Three years later, in 2002, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder based on assertions by the prosecution. Michael's new defense states that these assertions were made without presenting any solid proof to back up these claims.
Politte has maintained his innocence since the beginning and after his recent release, is now working to get his conviction reversed and find the real perpetrator.
Michael Politte's case - a grisly murder, a teen suspect, and a possible wrongful conviction
1) Michael Politte and his friend found a grisly murder scene at his home
Michael was just 14, and having a sleepover with a friend at his family's Hopewell, Missouri, home with his friend and schoolmate the day his mother was killed.
The two teens claimed that it was just before 6:30 in the morning when they woke up to a smoke-filled house. Crawling towards the door, Politte started looking for his 40-year-old mother, Rita, only to find her in a grisly crime scene - she was on fire.
While investigating the scene, authorities found blood splatters on the walls and alleged that she was brutally beaten up before being set on fire. The crime scene also displayed signs of struggle.
2) Politte was a primary suspect in his mother's murder case since the beginning
Michael Politte was arrested two days after his mother's murder, which happened on December 5, 1998. He reportedly became the primary suspect in the case after failing to show remorse over the tragedy.
He also reportedly failed a voice stress test and a sniffer dog alerted Michael's shoes on the morning of the murder for possible accelerant traces. Cops believed that it was what was used to start the fire.
3) He allegedly admitted to the murder during his time in juvie ahead of the trial
The most incriminating piece of evidence that the prosecution had against the teen was that he confessed to killing his mother during his time in juvie before his trial.
Sources state that three witnesses who worked at the juvenile detention center claimed that on one occasion, while attempting to commit suicide, Michael allegedly said,
"I haven't cared since… I killed my mom."
Michael, however, insists that he made reference to the potential killer(s) when he said, "I haven't cared since they killed my mom." The jury never got to hear this side of his story because he never took the stand.
4) Michael's new defense team alleges that there is a possibility he was wrongfully convicted
About five years after his conviction, Michael Politte started working with the Midwest Innocence Project. Attorneys Tricia Bushnell, Megan Crane, and Mark Emison joined his new defense team after years of work and pieced together the evidence against him. They began by refuting the prosecution's claim that an accelerant was used to start the fire that killed Rita.
Additionally, they claimed that there was no concrete proof of the presence of gasoline in his shoes. The defense claimed that throughout the trial, the material used to make Michael's shoes was misidentified as gasoline. The Missouri State Crime Lab confirmed this.
Michael's defense argues that he was wrongfully convicted in 2002. There may have been additional suspects outside the home that the authorities should have properly investigated.
5) He was released from prison in April 2022 following a new bill update
Michael Politte's defense tried for years to get his conviction overturned, but the appellate courts continuously refused to cooperate. Finally, in 2021, an unlikely bill was passed in Missouri, which allowed juvenile offenders who were convicted of serious crimes a second chance.
Michael was released on parole in April 2022 after 23 years and has been working with his defense to get his name cleared.
