In the early morning hours of December 5th, 1998, 14-year-old Michael Politte, and his friend, 15-year-old Josh awoke to the smell of smoke. When they opened the door to Michael’s bedroom, they choked on the smoke billowing from 40-year-old Rita Politte’s room. While Josh ran to the neighbors house to get help, Michael ran outside to grab a hose. He tried to pull the hose inside, but it wasn’t long enough so he crawled to his mom’s room to check on her. When he opened the door, he found Rita laying face up on the ground with her body on fire from her waist to her head.
Rita’s murder was the first in a long line of injustices, but to fully understand those injustices we need to take a look at the whole picture.
PS - Sorry for the delayed release! We've both had two very busy weeks!
Sources:
Politte v. Falkenrath from MacArthur Justice Center
Missouri Supreme Court hears AG’s opposition to prosecutor’s jurisdiction in Michael Politte appeal attempt from Fox2Now
The Case Against Michael Politte from 48 Hours
The Dubious Science of Arson Investigations from Stuff You Should Know
We will be taking a brief break for June and July of 2024. We hope to resume with our regular program in August of 2024. Thank you for your patience and check out our previous episodes!
Intro/Outro Music: A Creepy Music from Music Unlimited
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Website: wickedwithinpodcast.com
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