This Saturday, Michael Politte told @48Hours about the horrifying day in December 1998 when he found his mother dead and on fire on her bedroom floor – a crime he was wrongfully convicted for, spending over 20 years in a #Missouri prison.
https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/lwprS65b0QozmnPEIN5wMIFvqpCH0u23/
Instead of treating Mike like a terrified, traumatized 14-year-old child, the police made baseless assumptions on how he “should” act and quickly labeled him a ruthless, cold-blooded killer when he failed to meet those assumptions. Prosecutors presented “scientific” evidence to the jury that was later proven false.
Even the State now concedes the evidence was false, and the prosecutor has filed a motion in court to overturn Mike’s conviction. Although Mike has been released on parole and is doing well outside of prison, he, alongside his lawyers, are working tirelessly to exonerate him of his mother’s killing after the incredible trauma of losing her and being forced to grieve her behind bars.
For #GivingTuesday, many are helping Mike rebuild his life after prison by donating to his GoFundMe. Mike and his family appreciate all the help and support that are being shown to him currently as he continues to navigate life back home, alongside his fight for exoneration and #JusticeForRita: www.gofundme.com/f/help-michael-politte-after-wrongful-conviction
