Michael Politte’s fight for freedom

An inside look at the case against a 14-year-old boy accused of killing his mother and how decades later, doubt has been cast on his guilt.

In the early hours of Dec. 5, 1998, Michael Politte, then 14, says he found his mother’s body lying on her bedroom floor on fire.

Michael Politte

Michael Politte grew up in the tiny rural community of Hopewell, Missouri, about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis. 

The Politte family

Michael Politte is pictured with this two older sisters, Chrystal, top left, and Melonie, top right. Also pictured are Michael’s parents, Rita, bottom left, and Edward, bottom right.

Rita and Edward divorced in the summer of 1998.

Chrystal and Melonie were in their early 20s by then, but Michael was a young teen. He ended up splitting time between both parents. 

The sleepover

On Dec. 4, 1998, Michael Politte was home alone at his mom’s house.

He says he got bored, so he went to the local general store where he met up with his schoolmate, 15-year-old Josh SanSoucie, pictured.

Michael invited Josh to spend the night. The two hung out for hours before Michael’s mom, Rita, got home around midnight and then all three went to slee.

The incident

Michael says he slept through the night until just before 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 5, 1998, when he and Josh woke up to a smoke-filled room.

It wasn’t long before he says he made a grisly discovery. His mom was on fire on the floor of her room.

Pictured is Michael’s room on the morning of the murder.

Rita Politte

Josh ran to get help from the neighbors and Michael grabbed the family’s hose to help put out the fire, but it was too late. Rita Politte, 40, was dead. 

The crime scene

Police were called to the scene. It was clear that Rita had been murdered. She had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and blood on the walls indicated there had been a struggle. A fire investigator quickly concluded that an accelerant had been used to set her on fire.

The investigation

Michael and Josh were taken to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department for questioning and on the way, Michael asked a question that quickly placed him under police scrutiny. He asked, “What’s going to happen to my mom’s truck?”

Once at the sheriff’s department, Michael was given a voice stress test and was told he failed. Investigators also took Michael’s shoes and an accelerant-sniffing dog alerted to them.

Both boys insisted they didn’t know what happened to Rita and that they had stayed in Michael’s room all night, but investigators told them they didn’t believe them. 

The arrest

On Dec. 7, 1998, two days after the murder, 14-year-old Michael Politte was arrested for his mother’s murder.

“I always believed that I was gonna be found innocent because I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to my mother. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening,” Michael told “48 Hours.”

The trial

In January 2002, Michael Politte, then 17-years-old, went on trial.

Prosecutors told the jury that an accelerant had been used to set Rita on fire and that lab testing confirmed the presence of gasoline on the shoes that Michael was wearing the morning of the murder.

But Michael told police that the gasoline found on his shoes meant nothing — and that he and his friends would often set fires for fun.

The prosecution’s case

Michael had told police that he and Josh had set a fire on the local train tracks the night before the murder. But the prosecution used that admission to their advantage. They told the jury that the burn pattern on the tracks matched the burn pattern on Rita.

The “confession”

The prosecution also claimed that Michael had actually confessed to the crime during a suicide attempt in a juvenile detention center, exactly one month after the murder.

Three witnesses who worked at the juvenile detention center wrote in reports that Michael said, “I haven’t cared since… I killed my mom.”

Michael claims he actually said, “I haven’t cared since they killed my mom,” alluding to whoever the real killer(s) might be.

The defense’s case

The jury never heard from Michael because when it was the defense’s turn, he didn’t take the stand.

Michael’s defense lawyer based his case on the lack of direct evidence tying Michael to the crime. There was no murder weapon found and Michael had no injuries or blood on his clothing, despite the violence of the attack.

Michael is pictured here, not long before the murder.

The jury

Linda Dickerson-Bell, left, and Jonathan Peterson, right, were two members of the jury.

They told “48 Hours” they were torn over what the verdict should be. After more than 4 hours of deliberation, they and the other jurors reached a verdict. Michael was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to life in prison.

Linda and Jonathan both say they now deeply regret their decision.

The verdict

Michael Politte was sent to the Missouri State Penitentiary — once called “the bloodiest 47 acres in America.”  

“It was unbelievable… I never thought it would happen,” he told “48 Hours.”

But even though the trial didn’t go Michael’s way, he remained determined to prove his innocence.

New lawyers

Five years after his conviction, Michael wrote a letter to the Midwest Innocence Project asking them to take on his case — and they did. The organization worked on it for years and eventually, attorneys Tricia Bushnell, left, Megan Crane, center, and Mark Emison, right, became involved.

Dismantling the case

Michael’s new attorneys picked apart the case against Michael, starting with the prosecution’s claim that an accelerant was used to set the fire that killed Rita. They say there’s no concrete proof of that and they also say there’s no proof of gasoline on Michael’s shoes either. 

Instead, attorney Mark Emison says a chemical used in the shoe manufacturing process was wrongly identified as gasoline at trial. And even the Missouri State Crime Lab agrees. In a 2020 letter, officials say, “… it is now known that solvents found in footwear adhesives have similarities to gasoline.” But that, “In the late 1990s, this knowledge was not widely known.”

Michael’s legal team believes Michael was wrongfully convicted and that police didn’t properly investigate other possible suspects outside the home.

The release

Michael’s legal team fought for years to get his conviction overturned but they were shut down by appeals courts repeatedly. 

Then, in 2021, there was an unexpected development. A bill passed in Missouri giving juvenile offenders convicted of serious crimes a second chance. Michael was released on parole under the new law.

In April 2022, after serving 23 years behind bars, Michael Politte walked out of prison. Incarcerated at just 14-years-old, he was now 38.

The continued fight for justice

This didn’t mark the end for Michael and his legal team, pictured here on the day of his release. They are still determined to see Michael’s conviction overturned and his name cleared.

Making up for lost time

While Michael continues to fight to clear his name, he is enjoying spending time with his sisters and making up for all the time lost while he was behind bars.

Case update

Michael Politte and his sisters say they feel they are finally getting a chance to grieve the loss of their mother. They say they hope that one day justice will be served.

“We’re gonna get justice for her. I believe that one day we’re gonna get justice for Rita,” Michael told “48 Hours.”

“48 Hours” has learned that the Washington County Sheriff’s Department has reopened the investigation into Rita’s murder.