Wrongful Conviction

#260 Maggie Freleng with Mike Politte

On December 5, 1998, a 14 year old Mike Politte woke up to find his Mineral Point, MO home filled with smoke. When he checked on his mom, he found her on the floor – on fire. After days of interrogations, investigators decided that Mike had been grieving incorrectly and that he must have been the perpetrator. Despite evidence pointing to other relatives and evidence against Mike eventually being disproved, Mike was convicted of second degree murder in the killing of his own mother and condemned to spend the next 2 decades in prison. Maggie speaks to Mike Politte at Jefferson City Correctional Center in MO., Megan Crane J.D., Mike's advocate, and Melonie Politte, Mike's sister. To learn more and get involved, visit: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-michael-politte-after-wrongful-conviction">https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-michael-politte-after-wrongful-conviction</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelpolitte?lang=en">https://twitter.com/michaelpolitte?lang=en</a> <a href="https://lavaforgood.com/with-maggie-freleng/">https://lavaforgood.com/with-maggie-freleng/</a> Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.