On December 4th 1998, 14-year-old Michael Politte was hanging out in his hometown of Hopewell Missouri. It was a typical evening and Michael met us with his friend Josh and then invited him over for a sleepover. Michael’s mother, Rita, came home around midnight and everyone went to bed. The next morning, the boys woke up to find the entire mobile home filled with smoke… but that wasn’t all. Rita had been brutally murdered, and her death would set off a chain of events that would change Michael’s life forever. This is the murder of Rita Politte.

Sources:

• Michael Politte case: How did a teen sleepover in Missouri turn into a murder investigation? - CBS News
• Michael Politte Paroled, Evidence in Mom's Murder Discredited | Crime News (oxygen.com)
• Michael Politte, Convicted Of Killing Rita Politte, Hopes For Exoneration | Crime News (oxygen.com)
• The sleepover - Michael Politte's fight for freedom (cbsnews.com)
• The crime scene - Michael Politte's fight for freedom (cbsnews.com)
• 48 Hours: “The Case Against Michael Politte”