MURDERED: Rita Politte

Listen to this episode from Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast on Spotify. When 14-year-old Michael Politte woke up to find his family home filled with smoke, he had no idea his life was about to change forever. After discovering his mother, Rita, on fire in the hallway, Michael ran for help—only to be arrested just days later and accused of her murder. Thank you to this week’s sponsors! Feel the difference an extraordinary night’s sleep can make with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/moms and unlock free shipping. Exclusions apply. For 50% off your order, head to DailyLook.com and use code MOMS50. Save 25% on your first month of subscription by going to dosedaily.co/MOMS or entering MOMS at checkout.    Check-out bonus episodes up on Spotify and Apple podcast now! Get new episodes a day early and ad free, plus chat episodes, discord access and zoom hangouts at Patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast  Thank you to this week’s sponsors! Get the best savings of the season during Boll & Branch’s Annual Summer Event! Get 20% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at BollandBranch.com/MOMS. Limited time only. Exclusions apply. Give your summer closet an upgrade—with Quince. Go to Quince.com/moms  for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns.  Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to SkylightCal.com/MOMS.  To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/MomsandMysteriesATrueCrimePodcast.  Listen and subscribe to Melissa’s other podcast, Criminality!! It’s the podcast for those who love reality TV, true crime, and want to hear all the juicy stories where the two genres intersect. Subscribe and listen here: www.pod.link/criminality    Check-out Moms and Mysteries to find links to our tiktok, youtube, twitter, instagram and more.    Sources: https://www.macarthurjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Petition-for-Writ-of-Habeas-Corpus.pdf https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-politte-rita-politte-missouri-sleepover-murder-investigation/ https://themip.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Politte-Press-Release-8.23.pdf https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-04-27/years-after-michael-politte-won-parole-in-missouri-his-battle-for-exoneration-drags-on https://www.stlmag.com/news/michael-politte-juror-wrongful-conviction/  https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/michael-polittes-fight-for-freedom/  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84665391/ollie_b-smith  https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-09-29/michael-politte-has-served-22-years-for-murdering-his-mother-experts-say-hes-innocent  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1208041899/?match=1&terms=marian%20smith