31. Rita Politte (Michael Politte)

Speculating Wildly About Crime

One night in December of 1998, a family suffered an unbelievable tragedy in their small town Missouri home. Smelling smoke, 14-year old Michael Politte investigated the source and found his mother dead on the bedroom floor, bludgeoned and set on fire. Rita Politte had been viciously murdered and who did the police zero in on? Son, Michael. Two days after Rita’s murder, Michael was arrested. After a trial riddled with various inconsistencies and questionable evidence, Michael was convicted of her murder. Was justice served? Or is Rita’s killer still out there, walking free?

Drawing from various resources including a “48 Hours” documentary, the Mombies Podcast, and news channels, host David brings the SWAC Pack an engaging discussion regarding the details surrounding Rita’s murder, including: the events leading up to the murder, the police’s subsequent investigation, and the problems surrounding the scientific evidence used to convict Michael.

In our conclusion of this week’s episode, we talk about the recent efforts of the Midwest Innocence Project to exonerate Michael who, after spending 24 years incarcerated for the murder of his mother Rita, was granted parole in April of 2022.

Join the SWAC Pack as they explore alternative suspects. Share your theories with us on the “Speculating Wildly About Crime (SWAC Pod) Discussion Group” on Facebook.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-politte-rita-politte-missouri-sleepover-murder-investigation/

https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-missouri-c11bb1934a7b50779da9776d2221a49c

https://sandhillsexpress.com/cbs_national/man-convicted-as-a-teen-of-murdering-his-mom-says-the-real-killer-is-still-out-there-cbsid7902c50b/

MTV Series: Unlocking The Truth About Wrongful ConvictionsLangdon & Emisonhttps://www.langdonemison.com › Blog

"48 Hours" The Case Against Michael Politte (TV Episode 2022)IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com › title