Linda Dickerson-Bell and Jonathan Peterson
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 6:21 am
Michael is pictured here, not long before the murder.
The jury
CBS News
Linda Dickerson-Bell, left, and Jonathan Peterson, right, were two members of the jury.
They told "48 Hours" they were torn over what the verdict should be. After more than 4 hours of deliberation, they and the other jurors reached a verdict. Michael was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
Linda and Jonathan both say they now deeply regret their decision.
Michael Politte was sent to the Missouri State Penitentiary -- once called "the bloodiest 47 acres in America."
"It was unbelievable… I never thought it would happen," he told "48 Hours."
But even though the trial didn't go Michael's way, he remained buy phone number list determined to prove his innocence.
Five years after his conviction, Michael wrote a letter to the Midwest Innocence Project asking them to take on his case -- and they did. The organization worked on it for years and eventually, attorneys Tricia Bushnell, left, Megan Crane, center, and Mark Emison, right, became involved.
Michael's new attorneys picked apart the case against Michael, starting with the prosecution's claim that an accelerant was used to set the fire that killed Rita. They say there's no concrete proof of that and they also say there's no proof of gasoline on Michael's shoes either.
Instead, attorney Mark Emison says a chemical used in the shoe manufacturing process was wrongly identified as gasoline at trial. And even the Missouri State Crime Lab agrees. In a 2020 letter, officials say, "… it is now known that solvents found in footwear adhesives have similarities to gasoline." But that, "In the late 1990s, this knowledge was not widely known."
Michael's legal team believes Michael was wrongfully convicted and that police didn't properly investigate other possible suspects outside the home.
The jury
CBS News
Linda Dickerson-Bell, left, and Jonathan Peterson, right, were two members of the jury.
They told "48 Hours" they were torn over what the verdict should be. After more than 4 hours of deliberation, they and the other jurors reached a verdict. Michael was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
Linda and Jonathan both say they now deeply regret their decision.
Michael Politte was sent to the Missouri State Penitentiary -- once called "the bloodiest 47 acres in America."
"It was unbelievable… I never thought it would happen," he told "48 Hours."
But even though the trial didn't go Michael's way, he remained buy phone number list determined to prove his innocence.
Five years after his conviction, Michael wrote a letter to the Midwest Innocence Project asking them to take on his case -- and they did. The organization worked on it for years and eventually, attorneys Tricia Bushnell, left, Megan Crane, center, and Mark Emison, right, became involved.
Michael's new attorneys picked apart the case against Michael, starting with the prosecution's claim that an accelerant was used to set the fire that killed Rita. They say there's no concrete proof of that and they also say there's no proof of gasoline on Michael's shoes either.
Instead, attorney Mark Emison says a chemical used in the shoe manufacturing process was wrongly identified as gasoline at trial. And even the Missouri State Crime Lab agrees. In a 2020 letter, officials say, "… it is now known that solvents found in footwear adhesives have similarities to gasoline." But that, "In the late 1990s, this knowledge was not widely known."
Michael's legal team believes Michael was wrongfully convicted and that police didn't properly investigate other possible suspects outside the home.