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Michael Politte, who was convicted of his mother Rita Politte's 1998 murder, was recently released from prison on parole after serving 23 years for a crime he claims he didn't commit. His new defense team, which includes attorneys Tricia Bushnell, Megan Crane and Mark Emison, is picking apart the case to prove his innocence. They claim that he was wrongfully convicted during the 2002 trial.
Politte's defense believes he was convicted because "he was a kid, pure and simple."
They believe authorities failed to look at other possible suspects and that the prosecution lacked proof, especially of the scientific evidence used to convict the accused. Since his release, Michael has been working with his defense to prove his innocence and bring his mother's killer to justice.
An upcoming episode, 48 Hours on CBS, will explore the controversial case of Michael Politte. The episode, titled The Case Against Michael Politte, airs this Saturday, November 26 at 10 pm ET.
Michael Politte's defense initially failed to prove in innocence in the 2002 trial
Michael's mother was murdered on December 5, 1998, in their Hopewell, Missouri home. Two days after the murder, then-14-year-old Michael Politte was arrested for bludgeoning her and setting her on fire. In January 2002, at the age of 17, he went on trial and was convicted of second-degree murder.
The prosecution alleged that he lacked remorse after the crime, failed the voice stress test, and there was an accelerant detected in his shoes. The prosecution also asserted that Michael had admitted to his mother's murder while attempting suicide during his time in Juvie. This was quite possibly the most incriminating evidence used against him in the trial. However, he claimed that it wasn't what he said.
His defense, however, focused their arguments on the absence of concrete evidence linking Michael to the crime. Despite the brutality of the attack, no murder weapon was discovered, and Michael had no wounds or blood on his clothes.
A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder after a three-day trial and sentenced him to life in prison.
Years after his conviction, Michael Politte's new defense team identified a lack of proof with the evidence used to convict him
Michael maintained his innocence and about five years after his conviction, he began working with the Midwest Innocence Project, who decided to take up his case. After years of effort, attorneys Tricia Bushnell, Megan Crane, and Mark Emison joined Politte's new defense team and dissected the evidence against him piece by piece.
The new defense began with the prosecution's assertion that an accelerant was used to ignite the fire that killed Rita. They also alleged that there was no actual evidence to prove the presence of gasoline in his shoes either. The defense team argued that the substance used in the production of Michael's shoes was mistakenly called gasoline throughout the trial. This was also supported by the Missouri State Crime Lab.
Discussing the matter, crime lab officials reportedly wrote in a letter:
"It is now known that solvents found in footwear adhesives have similarities to gasoline. In the late 1990s, this knowledge was not widely known."
Michael's defense team contends that his conviction was unjust and that he was wrongfully convicted. The authorities should have thoroughly looked into any other potential suspects outside the house.
One of Politte's defense attorneys told 48 Hours that Michael was simply convicted because he was a "kid." They said that the prosecution believed that the then-teen wasn't "emotional enough." The defense also added that trauma doesn't look like what people think it should look like.
Michael Politte's legal team struggled unsuccessfully for years to get his conviction overturned until his release in April 2022. That was when a new bill was passed and Politte was released on parole. Politte and his defense are still hopeful and determined to clear his name.
Tune in to CBS 48 Hours on Saturday, November 26 to learn more on the case.
