The Case Against Michael Politte | Full Episode
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2023
- At 14 he was accused and later convicted of murdering his mother. But he claims he knows who the real killer is and he’s still out there. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.
#48hours #crime #mystery
Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.
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The bottom line is; there's people in prison who don't belong there and there's people that belong in prison that aren't.
💔😢👶💵💔👶😢💵*
*Please look 🥺*
Another system that destroys the families especially lower income*
*The Corrupt Business of*
*Children Protective Services*
By former Georgia
*Senator Nancy Schaefer*
Plus her talking to
Inforwars Alex Jones
Follow The🕊️💵🕊️😮
5.21.2022
Peace 🕊️🙏🕊️
Now why isn't CPS ever looked into..?!?!?!
Ok
7..15.2023
⁵tþþ
@@IceLynne😢😢😢🎉😢2😢🎉🎉😢🎉🎉😢😢🎉😢jk
09😅0
Poi
They gave a traumatized 14 year old boy who had just saw his dead mother on fire a "voice stress test" and said he failed it??! Wtf did they expect his voice to sound like?!
My thoughts exactly!
I third this
That's what I yelled at the TV lol. Seriously wth🤯
The really sad part is that voice stress test was based on bunk science. A lot of the fire experts back then were also using bunk science to make decisions on what caused fires or how they started. I watched a documentary on a guy who was convicted of setting his house on fire, killing his wife and children. The fire expert they called in literally made up what happened and years later it was figured out that he had done that in many other cases. The science he spouted to back him up wasn't correct in the slightest. They had to re-evaluate every case he had testified in.
More importantly, I’m just wondering how tf a vocal test could determine stress accurately and consistently enough to be considered an admissible test and a determining factor of any sort for a situation like this. Wtf kinda test is this 😭
The jury saying 'we're ready to go home' is exactly why I don't think we should be letting random people make life changing decisions
While i agree with that, i have real trouble thinking of a better solution.
In my country the equivalent of the jury is politically appointed, with proportional representation from the ruling parties. That instead opens up for political motivation in their rulings. I don't think that's any better.
@@hansmuller1625 bingo.
the documentary was designed to hav that slanted bias.. ppl know whats on the line, and usually rise to doing the right thing, if not, there are 11 others to remind them.. jury system gets it right.
I had a close friend go to jail for 4 years for something she did not do. New federal judge and she was gonna be" tough on crime". They never proved, could not locate any paper trail, the money, no witnesses.lousy public defender. But the jury wanted to go home as it was thanksgiving weekend when the case "rested". She had priests and nuns testify for her honesty.
@@patriciastrassner4883 riiiight..
lm quite sure the prosecution and victims hav a different story..
@@BEAUTYnIQou don’t even know what the crime was? What victims? 😂 There’s also a lot of incompetent prosecutors in our justice system. Ask Kalief Browder, oh wait you cant because he died by suicide after became mentally ill while spending years in solitary waiting to prove his innocence on a fake charge. He even had a judge threaten him with the maximum time for daring to not take a plea deal because he knew he was innocent. It’s funny you think of things so black and white even after hearing this story about misconduct by the police and flaws in the justice system. Michael isn’t the only one either. The fact that the innocence project even has to exist shows exactly what’s wrong with our system. You should do a little research instead of just believing things blindly. Ppl aren’t always in jail because they did something wrong. A lot are there because they couldn’t afford bail or charges that should never have been filed anyway. And most end up taking a plea deal so they don’t have to spend years in jail waiting for a chance to prove their innocence.
Josh's story is ABSOLUTELY why you need to educate your kids and loved ones to *never* talk to the police without an attorney present. *NEVER* Please educate your family and friends to never fall into this trap!!
@d_dot
D_dot95
Exactly!!
Frfr
Not that simple playa it cost money most people in our country are struggling just to pay rent and unless you have a lawyer on standby personally you would have to have a public defender and would be downhill from there
The jury thought 4 hours was too long for deliberation? What a bunch horrible soulless group of people!
Right! And had the nerve to talk about weeping and feeling guilty! The audacity! The horror that this child has to endure while grieving is nauseating.
It is really scary to think how a couple of cocky and lazy cops can ruin your life.
Preach!!! I know this first hand.
It's absolutely horrifying and criminal
Yes absolutely 💯
It is unforgivable 😢
@@newportwaves1393
Yep, every day.
Of course a14 year old child is going to be acting strange after they find a parent murdered. They are in shock. My heart goes out to this man .
And not just murdered but set on fire, burning from the waist up. Total trauma for a 14 year old.
I thought exactly the same thing, he was in shock.
OMG, I can't help putting myself in his place! The obscene injustice and careless judgment caused this poor kid to lose so many years of his life!!! Thankfully he is finally free.
I really hope he manages to clear himself. He deserves financial restitution for the years they stole from him. This really is a travesty!
It's not so much shock as it is their brains are still developing. The frontal cortex is not yet fully formed. So they process things differently than adults.
Letting your child be blamed and punished for a crime you committed is beyond horrific. But it seems like fire was used on purpose to frame his son since it was known that Michael liked to burn things... there are no words.
"oh hes a juvenile. They'll take it easy on him."
Seen it too many times. That's what these scumbags think. Parent of the year everyonem
Worthless police and detectives. Absolutely WORTHLESS.
😮
@@josephmatthews7698 Exactly!!
@@capnobvious2718 You're so right! Every time I see these wrongful conviction cases, one of the things that always goes through my mind is how damned LAZY law enforcement was. They always go after whomever they think it's going to be easier to pin the crime on. Meanwhile, the REAL criminals are out here getting away with it and living their best lives!
I cannot imagine a worse injustice than being an innocent person in prison. Thank God his sisters stood by and didn't give up hope. Bless this man for seemingly holding on and not losing himself to bitterness and despair. I wish him all the best life has to offer.
And more so being a child that had just gone thru trauma.
And the age of him aswell
@@nillyk5671just so wrong
There's still far too many innocent people in prison. More than you or I could possibly imagine. Even when they claim innocence the guards, "Well you're still not a good guy or they wouldn't have expected you."
Unfortunately not enough people in this country believe in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "I'd rather 20 guilty men go free than one innocent be found guilty."
Too many of us want to eat our cake and have it too.
I was upset with his sisters for not trying to do something to help him. It didn't say who they went to live with.
People shouldn't do jury duty if they don't know what beyond reasonable doubt is.
Well you do not exactly have a choice. You are summoned then forced to be on a jury.
These appear to be country folk, its obvious they were told how to find him. I feel bad for these two individuals, they probably suffered as long as Michael. I would do anything in my power not to be on a jury in the US.
@@annehorrigan570that’s not the best approach the more people who will question the case and supposed facts decline or get a way out of jury duty the more they’ll find someone who’ll not question it and just agree to convict some possible innocent person
Don't forget that the jury was presented with false evidence though. And apparently, Michael's lawyer didn't contest most of the points brought up here, so the jury were left with the wrong picture.
If you're talking about jurors being influenced too much by emotions, I agree their decision making should be more focused on evidence, not on "gut feelings."
Serve
What a horrible slap in the face to his mother. Not only was she murdered, but they tormented and tortured her son afterward. As a mother, she not only didn't get justice, but she got the opposite of justice.
And her ex husband who hated her and owed her walks freely.
Hate and justice are not balanced in jurisprudence. Over and aver so many throw always. Shame.
So true
He's guilty don't be silly, those looney innocent project are freeing murderers left and right. He woke up and found his mother burning and no reaction or emotion from him, gasoline on his shoes, and other evidence overlooked over the years.
@@mermaid30019 So you're telling me she was brutally beat and then set on fire and two teenagers didn't hear anything LOL. The friend knows something that's why he's traumatized.
The Innocence Project is an incredible organization.
Best to you Michael-May you receive justice for having been forced to suffer over half of your life behind prison walls
The innocence project may need to change its name...
What do you call an organization that cleans up the awful work of lazy officers and jurrors who don't do their work properly and end up destroying the lives of people who get wrongfully convicted while the actual criminals go about their lives without a care in the world?
Lack of emotion should never be used as an argument to prosecute someone, especially for children.
I was 22 when my dad died. I drove 12 hours to the hospital and sat with him for 2 weeks. He was on life support. I eventually had to sign a DNR and he passed shortly thereafter. It was an emotional roller coaster and everyone around me was breaking down.
I didn’t cry. Didn’t break down.
My whole family said I was cold and my dads mother never spoke to me again after he passed.
I didn’t break down over all of this until years later, once my dads mom passed and I had to take care of her assets, finances and clear her house out. Then I felt the weight of everything and it almost broke me emotionally. I sat in her empty house, and just broke down. It ruined me for years after that.
My family never saw my breakdown. And no one knew about it. But to my family, they’ll always think of me as being cold and emotionless.
Trauma can be processed so many different ways. Mine was a downward spiral, years later that left me broken. And I’m still recovering. But if there had been foul play in my grandmothers or fathers death, it’s terrifying to know that I could’ve been implicated just because of my perceived mental state, or lack there of.
Fully agree.
There is no 'typical' or 'normal' reaction to loss, or even direct shock/trauma. It depends on culture, subculture, even family, personal and situation.
That’s why everyone in these comment sections who always judge these people for acting the way they act make me so mad!
They act like they know everything. My mom lost 2 kids, my sister and brother, and grief is weird. Never say never!
My heart goes out to you.
I hope you make peace with what’s been troubling u soon.
I can't believe people can be so narrow-minded to think just because someone doesn't turn into a blubbery mess when somebody dies they're cold and emotionless or they must be the murderer. Absolutely absurd. When my husband died, I cried that day, but not at the funeral, even though I was devastated. I cried afterward when I was alone. I took out all his pictures, looked at them and cried my heart out. For some reason that worked better for me.
hang in there brother - very similar situation
This is completely outrageous. This poor kids lost years of his life because of egos, laziness and incompetence. He deserves to be completely exonerated. This poor kid.
Sure sounds like it. His defense attorney did a horrible job. Why didn't he call the friend to testify?
@@abc-wv4in black kid you wouldn't give a fudg. He's guilty.
@@rsj7458that part.
Terrible...
@@rsj7458 Thats not true, I'd still be sick if he had been an African American 14 yr old boy. This kid was innocent.
The state simply did not want to admit that they had committed a crime against Michael! This man deserves to have his conviction overturned, an apology and financial restitution! I am praying for exactly these things! This tragedy made me weep!
children are more than capapble of m*rder, they ae not as innocent as you think. look at the case of James Bulger.
He did it though
@@tatriceshipp9139no he didn't
@@tatriceshipp9139 Wow, after her husband threatened her right in court, that she wouldn't live to get any of his money, then dies 4 days later? Give me a break! Husband did it!
😅
A man unfaithful to his wife is a man unfaithful to his children, a coward and a weasel.
Exactly, no respectable father would let his terrified 14 year old be interrogated in the first place. The father did it for sure.
So true!
a neighbor caught some of my trees on fire as he was burning a pile of debris and in my panic i couldn't even function enough to unlock my phone to call 911. i had to run to my other neighbor to call!! so when dude described walking into that real life horror scene and not knowing what to do.....not even being about to comprehend what he's seeing, who to call, what to do... total shock bless his heart 😭
When the dad refused to help his son, and didn't come to his release, he convicted himself.
I said the same thing the moment his father did not help him l became suspicious. So glad he is out of prison just diabolical what was done to him. God bless you young man.
On the dotted line
I bet he did it
Your information is wrong, het your facts straight before you spew trash
@@zmanzoran
Kindly provide the correct information. Thanks
"voice stress test" sounds about as accurate as mood crystals
hahaha!
Wouldn't you also be stressed when you find your mother burning on the floor?!? I was shocked when they said that! Like I don't understand...this whole case sounds very poorly executed.
Or an E-Meter…🤨
I can’t imagine a 14 year old going through this. I’m so sorry.
This is so incredibly frustrating to watch. A young man’s life has been irreversibly damaged because of poorly trained investigators, over zealous prosecutors, jurors who “just wanted to get home” and an inexperienced trial attorney who never tried a capital case.
The number of people in prison due to lazy/devious police work is insane.
scary isn't it?
The amount of people executed due to this too is scary
And lazy jury members.
Yes!
Alot of the cops belong in prison themselves
This poor kid was absolutely fooked by police. There needs to be better protection of minors in these cases. Its absolutely disgusting what happened to him.
They said he fought with his mom and threatened her, but ignored the dad threatening her for winning alimony, and she was klld right after that?? It's CRAZY
I can't believe the whole of that police departments are stupid person. Not even one thinking about that tire evidence in the closet that didn't found by the police but found by random person? And how can that person can search that crime scene, why is he there??
@@no_peaceyep. Happens quite a bit with custody cases.
@@chandarma99 Because it's small town Missouri.
14:36 the interview also shows a bias towards how boys normally have to behave; I can hear the interviewer berating a boy for getting into trouble or play-fighting as some sort of proof that he will turn up a criminal;
some of these granmas grew up only on empty-positivity, on barbies and dolls, and may not understand boys love learning how to be practical, not how to be polite.
This is one of the laziest investigations by law enforcement I've ever seen. Absolutely heartbreaking for Rita & Michael. 2 other men who were so suspicious were not looked into further. Horrible. I hope Michael can now live the life he was meant to live, and Rita can truly rest in peace.
Hold my beer and look up the case of a young boy found hanging from a tree, missing both feet, inside city limits, near the schoolhouse in Trenton, MO. Local police ruled it a suicide.
I guess circumstantial evidence doesn't exist then. Even his friend Josh testimony doesn't guarantee that Mike killed his mom.
As a child of an abuser who tried to choke my mom to death, I genuinely agree it was likely their father. For years I was scared my father would try to finish the job and take my mom out.
I live with the reverse, my mom killed my dad.
@@HellcatMaddamn I’m so sorry! I cannot imagine what you and your poor Dad went through.
I’m so sorry you went through that. I’m sure it was extremely traumatizing and still is.
i believe it was his father, too...he didn't want to pay what he owed in the divorce, so he killed her.
The Attorney General doesn’t want this case retried because they will have a huge lawsuit on their hands against the state of Missouri. They should have to pay Michael for the years he lost while in prison and mental anguish.
It's perverse, if they fix their mistakes they have to pay so they just won't fix their mistakes. What a world
Of course they should. But as a Missouri resident, this is the home of Eric Schmitt and Mike Parsons and Josh Hawley; all part of the good-ole-boys network. They could care less about the people of Missouri. They make me sick.
Exactly
@@jeanieferris Same! I'll be doing my best to vote all of them them out next election. They're all useless for our state, and, well, I probably can't say what comes to mind here on RUclips. I'll just leave it at they're conversely useless and harmful.
YES LOTS OF MONEY 🥵
Why do people always “know how” someone should act when a horrible thing happens?!
It doesn't apply to the same extent back then but copaganda media like "RUclips body language expert decodes behavior in recent viral video" is a huge part of this. Lots of true crime people think they've trained themselves to be human lie detectors
I think back then more people believed in things like body language reading, but fewer people thought they actually knew how to do it
And the thing is, if he cried, they’d say it was fake. They make the body language fit their narrative.
Especially a traumatized child!
He just put out his mother's burning body. That is a kind of shock that is hard to fathom. The truck question made sense to me. His poor mind was trying to grasp something concrete and understandable.
Those innocent project lawyers are heros
Heroes even...
Every case they win proves how lousy the police, the detectives and the prosecution are. Proof that they don't care what the truth is.
Sometimes. A lot of those guys ARE guilty. They just find a reason to get a conviction thrown out. “Not guilty” in court doesn’t mean innocent.
My Dad worked in a prison as a correctional officer. He knew there were innocent people there. I myself have experienced it on a small scale. It's easy to be accused and everyone to just believe. Even when it's a flat out lie.
Yup. There are innocent people in every prison.
I met a few.
And with innocence i mean completely innocent. There are also people that dont deserve to be in there, but that did something and got a very bad 'deal'.
And most have stories to tell . Some on youtube too . Donkeys , monkeys and junkies
I really hate it when jurors come out after the trial and say they are against the verdict they agreed to.
Yeah well those other jurors did seem like they wanted to just go home, after all
Right. Just have a hung jury if everyone is "ready to go home." Disgusting!!
At least some of them were brave enough to admit they made a mistake.
Hear me out, when a jury is presented evidence like what was presented in the beginning court, even I Thought he was guilty. But bc of this being 48 hrs I knew he was wrongly convicted so I kept saying "how are they going to prove the gasoline wasn't the accelerant, etc." HIS attorneys didn't do that during the court hearing. These new attorneys did it AFTER. It's extremely sad but you can't completely blame the jurors. The ones "wanting to go home" felt he was 100% guilty and clearly couldn't see what the others who were questioning it saw to make him not guilty. Which again, the prosecutor did make his case. Michael's "first time defending a murderer" attorney did not do his job and that's why it's unbelievably important to have an amazing attorney!
@curioustruthteller8510 I’m not sure how you could believe he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with the evidence presented. Even if you believed he’d used accelerant to set her on fire, that doesn’t actually prove he murdered her. She was beaten to death and I saw no evidence presented for that. Also, the jurors interviewed said they doubted his guilt at the time, not in hindsight with new evidence.
What a sad story for Michael he lost more than 20 years of his life , convicted falsely , i hope that one day he could find out who really killed his mom
His “dad” was definitely behind it!
His dad did it.
This woman was beaten by her husband. He killed her. It's a story that plays out every stinking day.
I'm pretty sure Michael's sports coach did it
@@chantelletrembath3345that’s a different story
I know he’s an adult now, but I want to hug and help 14 yr old Josh sooooo hard. This is so horrific.
That poor man looks broken and tired. To witness your mother die in such a brutal, horrific way, and then be accused of being her killer... ol boy has a special place upstairs for enduring this
Who else thinks his Dad did it and , knowing the trouble Michael was having , I.e. fighting with his Mom , setting fires etc, did it in a way that it would make his own son the main suspect
Yes, he pretty much framed his own son.
Especially as He refused to live with dad.
Evil!
@@zombiechicken7114yep the dad seems to have also grown a hatred for him also
Also that he wouldn't help get him a lawyer either? I think dad had something to do with it
Michaels story is heartbreaking. He was so young, he lost his mom then lost his freedom for 24 years. He was just a 14 year old kid and came out almost a 40 year old man. He missed out on the best years of his life. His mom would’ve been devastated if she knew what her kid was gonna go through.
He missed his youth, not always the best years of someone's life. Best years are whenever the best years are and for many those are after 40yrs old.
@@OffTheWagonsthere's nothing like feeling young and doing whatever you wanna do when you body is capable of doing anything. They took it from him, something that you can never get back. He still can enjoy life, but that part he missed, and it's not fair
@@aboutagirl1998 Oh yeah, it totally is a horrific thing they did to him. I just don't like people assuming those are their best years when some people have such a horrible time. Those years weren't so good for me, and the only thing that keeps me with hope is that the years ahead will be better.
What EVIDENCE!! 😂🤔🙄🙃😉🤪
He really missed some of his best years! And then if he makes any mistakes, they would put him right back in there! Regardless of growing up in prison, being completely innocent! And losing his mom!
The fact there was a violent struggle and he had no evidence on him of a struggle tells me alot!
I'm so hooked on true crime😮is it weird that I go to sleep every night watching or should I say listening to true crime😮
Me too!!!! My ex hated it ahaha 😈 I prefer the stories with black screens so the room stays pitch black. Will have a sleep timer on for 20-50 minutes (depending) so it doesn't mess up my sleep throughout the night
Join the club.
No i do the same thing. It puts me to sleep.
So true. It’s so interesting…
When he walked out of those doors, I couldn’t help but ugly cry.
What was done to him is horrific!!!
Me too! ❤
me 3! the fact his sister's always believed that Michael was innocent!
i cried and wished i was there❤
Although he seems like a good guy now, you believe 100% he didnt do it? That man probably killed his mother
@@superfried9550Thé question is do you 100% think he did it. Even the jurors don’t think he did it and the burden of proof is on the prosecution. They didn’t prove it so he deserves to be free.
This was a travesty of justice. This man deserves to have his name cleared and he deserves monetary compensation! This is absolutely unacceptable
Sure . World full of couch experts making remote diagnosis .
Uhhh....Ok?
@dentalhygiene3300 Above person must have issues lol
Agree with you 💯!
@janet5846 Yea. The couch expert comment got me lol. Like this person knows anything at all about my physical activity and day to day life. A good laugh though 😂
Farmers digest for bored housewives and couch potatoes . Take care of your teeth , miss day to day dental , if somebody digs you up after few mill years , you make good impression
Cops will say, "you never know how a person will act". Next breath, "he didn't act the way we THOUGHT he should ". 🤬
Exactly…..
Never heard about this case.Thank you for giving Rita a voice.much respect.❤❤
When the jurors said the other jurors got to them it broke my heart. A child’s entire life was affected because adults were pressured into going along.
It's no different than the interrogators pressuring innocent people to give a false confession, yeh?
@@cristinaherrera5321Exactly the same. Disgusting.
I honestly don't understand how any juror who believes that the defendant is innocent or has enough doubt as to their guilt, can even be pressured by other jurors.
And if that is even a remote possibility then those people should NEVER sit on any jury.
Especially when someone's life is at stake and even more so when said person is a child!!
That Juror saying 24 years later that she knew he was innocent but doesn't know how to fix it was, in my opinion just disgusting!!
All they have to do is dissent and there is a hung jury which means there can be a new trial. Speak up!
@michellesood4419 💯 those jurors that buckled should feel the shame.. just cowards
No 14 year old can commit such a crime and leave no tangible evidence. He is innocent. The prosecution did a poor job investigating this case.
@@AstuteCat you said exactly what they said what do you mean
@@_nnyF that's what I'm saying. They literally said the same thing...
@@_nnyF not isn’t. Read it again. I agree with that statement 100%.
@scottishdude9682 No one was talking to you though? Not sure what you are saying.
@@_nnyF yeah I understand. Comprehension can be difficult for some. You will get there. Good luck.
I cannot get over how evil that father is. And the strength of this young man blows my mind. The agony he went through at every level is beyond comprehension.
This saddens me to my core the years this man lost is heartbreaking. So many people are wrongfully imprisoned I worked in a prison and saw this happen sadly. Go live your life as good as you can Michael…..
Wow, from the age of 14 to 38. 😢 That would seem like a whole life sentence as a teenager. It's so good to see that his sisters stuck by him through it all. I hope he's living a very blessed life now.
It is kind of! Think about it! Those were the best years of his life! He missed half of his teens, all of his 20s and your 30s are still some good years! Then damn near his entire 40s! It's a disgrace!
@@danielleschiazza6172I'm confused- damn near his entire 40s? He's out now at 38 right?
This guy is the same age as me. I can’t imagine just now getting out of prison since 14... especially for something I didn’t do. It really blows my mind.
He looks so OLD too. More like 50 than only 38. I cannot imagine the stress this put on the poor guy!
@@retroguy9494he looks his age, not 50
A massive thank you to the Mid Western Innocence Project in fact The Innocence Project full stop are all angels for the work they do to overturn cases like this of the falsely convicted. Barry Scheck and Peter Neufield are incredible people who deserve the utmost respect for their dedication in founding the Innocence Project amazing human beings who work so hard to free innocent people 💙💙
Amen❤
If I had my career to do over again and knowing what I do about the injustices which exist within the criminal justice system today, I’d focus my career on the criminal appellate work for wrongful conviction cases just like this one!!
@cyclone4life_isu142 I am 63yrs of age and I have spent my life fighting for these cases and often with little resources i was lucky that my family helped me fund these cases, I like to think I made a difference sadly not all did I win and often think of those mostly men who the evidence proved them innocent but sadly juries courts did not always see it that way.I am so happy to now see these people who give so much and have the funding that's where I take joy. I'm sure you helped many people and your knowledge had an impact on people's lives. Best regards to you 😊
@@Megs108 Thank you for all you do to fight for these people’s Constitutional rights. It saddens and sickens me that “innocent until proven guilty” ONLY applies based upon your socio-economic class, who you know, OR your race.
Our justice system, though badly bent and MORE often broken, is still BETTER than the alternative running rampant in red states and pushed hard in most others by the alt-right, Trump, and his acolytes in the name of their “Justice.”
I wish you strength and peace as you continue your very worthy and valuable fight. There is just enough of you out there doing this work.
@cyclone4life_isu142 Bless you and you are so right in all that you have said and the sad thing its world wide now where the socially and racially deprived are trodden on by those that do not walk in their shoes but thankfully we do have organisations like The Innocence Project my only wish there was more worldwide for all injustices and more of those in power was held accountable in the highest way for the world to see and hear about.I have prayers and I find myself saying more and more every morning and night. You sound like a beautiful person keep doing what is within your realm to do everything counts no matter what hope you have a wonderful day or evening wherever you are 😊
Things aren't adding up but why were the husband & cousin not investigated???
This is such a sad story, to Michael and his sisters, you are fighters and I’m sorry this happened to your family. Michael I wish you all the happiness in the world, you deserve it.
He's such a likeable guy, too. I love the way he talks - his simple, direct responses. I wish him all the best now that he's free and I hope the day will come when his record is completely cleared.
Doesn't mean a thing unfortunately-lots of crazy people act that way, psychopaths are experts at it.😊 Just because you can't prove certain things it doesn't mean the're not true. About the gasoline he actually explained it away and said he had used that the same night. So if that's true he could have had gasoline on his shoes right? These programs are turning all the facts in one direction and it might be the right one-or the wrong...
@@tuvsippastop
No matter how innocent you think he is he will not marry you or even date you so let it go
@@zmanzoran lol I wouldn't expect him to since I"m a 73yo gay woman.
@@ElizabethGrindon or he wont hang out with you or shre his clothes with you
Michael, I’m sorry this happened to you. My brother who’s 48 years old today has been an addict since the age of 16 because when he was sentence to jail at 14 they put him in a prison with adult men who raped & beat him. He suffered so much & to this day he’s still broken.
So much damage has been done over the years to so many defendants and their families. I’m so sorry you to hear what your brother went through. It’s no wonder to me why he self medicated 😔. I hope he finds peace!
If you don't mind my asking. what did he DO at 14 that got him put in with adult men instead of a juvenile facility?
Hugs to your brother and you. ❤️
I'm so sorry, may he find strength peace and happiness in this life
when the bird flew over and he immediately said "hey mom" - chills
I found that weird myself,or maybe he is nuts
Everyone in that town is despicable for not coming forward and letting a child go to prison !!
Absolutely devastating. Shame on the jurors and his friend (although I know his friend was also young, it was still wrong). The cops that carried the 'investigation' should be put on trial.
The legal system is so messed up. When I was 12 I was homeless on the streets and was basically starving. I got caught taking food from an open garage that had a fridge. They pinned over 19 house robberies on me. Then in court they had me take a plea to the worst of those house burglaries when I didn't do it. They all knew I didn't do it, when I say all I mean the police, the judge, the DA and even my public pretender. Just so they could close the case that the DA wanted closed. Yea, it cant be compared to this story but is still an example of a messed up system. I was sentenced to 5 years in a military school, it was hard but I have to look at the positives. At least I wasn't on the streets anymore starving. Though I think my parents should have been charged for neglect and I could have been placed in foster care.
12 years old and on the street is horrible. Yes, your parents should have been held accountable. Even in f you were a little terror, they could have done something besides give you to the streets. (I know you weren't a terror) I think of my son when he was 12 and couldn't imagine that. I cry for you.❤
@@pegs1659 Thank you for your kind words and empathy. I have grown into a great man and doing very well now. Hard times can be difficult but it helps build character. I'm thankful for the man I've become and wouldn't have the life I live without the past struggles. I do however feel bad for others that are innocent and stuck in the legal system.
@@pegs1659 I agree 💯
Where were ur parents back then?
@@CustomCommander1980 So relieved and grateful that you survived and now LIVE. Bravo !!!
A 14 year old boy can't make a bowl of cereal without leaving evidence behind.
I know, I've raised two of them!
Michael reminds me of my late son ... his cadence, his direct way of speech. My heart breaks for him.
I feel for this man. I lost my father in a car accident when I was 8. When we were called to the hospital and put in a prayer room, knowing my father was dead, I was the only one in the room not crying. As a man now, I still can't make sense of why I didn't show emotion in that moment other than I was not old enough to know the gravity of the situation. Emotion shows itself in different ways in different people.
You're right bruh. The problem with cops is that they take these amateur psychology courses and they want to lump every person into the exact same category as to how people should act in certain situations. It's not true. Every person is an individual and can react to tragedy differently. They just don't get that or WANT to get it!
You shouldn't feel bad about your father. I lost one of the only 2 people in my life to ever love me unconditionally over 27 years ago and she was young by todays standards. Only 62. I couldn't cry either. To this very day I still cannot. But I have grieved every day of my life since I lost her. It's like a part of ME died too.
Shock can affect many people many different ways. Grief is different for every single person. I saw my brother take his last breath and I stood there totally frozen. I was in a daze. I’m so sorry for the loss of your father. I hope you continue to heal.
Agreed with you. That depends on the person itself on how to show emotions. People reacted differently
When my dad died when I was 6, I never cried until I saw them putting his casket under the ground. I think I didn't really understand that I was never ever gonna see my dad.
@@nabegamma04 I'm sorry........that's SO young to lose your father.
But you'll see him again one day! ✝
Missouri doesn't want to overturn this conviction because they know they'll be liable for a lawsuit and would have to PAY UP big time! They sent that poor baby to the slaughterhouse with no evidence! 🥺 I hate that this happened to him and that it happens often. 😢
As a survivor of similar situations I have lots of trust issues. It’s nice to see a man who is so passionate about not hurting our children!
Why are law enforcement and prosecutors allowed to do these unethical and evil things?
It’s all about being re-elected and being “tough on crime.”
the kind of mindset that facilitates this behavior is especially rampant across the bible belt and in deeply religious areas. There is a power-play dynamic that is brainwashed from childhood to not buck the system and have faith in the system, while the type of people drawn to work in the "system" are the sociopaths and narcissists with big egos and small brains. It is a vicious cycle not easily broken.
I believe the dad did it! Michael has suffered irreparable harm by an overzealous prosecutor and an inept defense! Prayers that he can find peace!
Yup. His dad refusing to get him a new lawyer and what he said at the divorce hearing says it all. A straight up pos
I think you are right
For sure he did it. Didn’t even want to help his son with any of it or help get a lawyer.
He spent more of his life behind bars than he did free. Absolutely heartbreaking. Prayers he is able to enjoy his freedom stolen from him!
I can verify that Jury's put pressure on each and every juror. Although the case that I sat on a jury for was not this severe, it still haunts me to this day, 30 + years later.
The absolutely absurdity of doing a "voice stress test" on a boy who just found his mother dead and burning to determine guilt. I mean...
Unless he's being used as an accomplice, there'd be no purpose for having your friend spend the night the same night you plan to set your mom on fire.
Poor kids. Shame.
It’s so devastating when people are wrongfully convicted of killing a parent, child, or spouse. Why would you ever blame a child for killing their mother if they have a problematic ex?
An ex who threatened her life in court four days before this incident. He told her she'd be dead before she ever saw a penny of his money.
He did say in the beginning that his father wanted him to live with him and he said no, because he wanted to live with his mom. Father could've gotten his revenge on both of them for rejecting him.
This is one case I’ll never forget. My heart breaks for the little boy he was and for his mama too. That family has been through more than any family ever should!
you dont want to have a friend like joshua
What a miscarriage of justice that cost the kid many years of his life, spent behind bars. Sheesh 🙄 what foolishness! The prosecution was lazy and the police just incompetent 😖😣🤬🤬🤬 Thank God he was freed. Pity, they didn't investigate the dad enough. RIP mom 😢
his father must charge instead
Facts 💯
He's on parole, so not free. He qualified for the new juvenile parole law, otherwise he'd still be sitting in prison. 😢
@@waypay1 That sucks. He should be exonerated. I hope his attorneys are working on it.
And the jury members also who by the sounds of it just wanted to get back home to their lives of freedom!
If any one had any doubt regarding this grieving son's guilt, then they should have voiced it and never agreed to that verdict.
Weak minded people pleasers have no place on any jury!
They also had a job to do and they failed this man big time!!!
I can only imagine how a 14 year old boy would feel after finding his Mother in such a way. 😞 Lazy police, and those members of the jury, disgraceful!😡
The way all of those adults flanked that boy who they were coercing information out of looks extremely suspicious at best. My first thought if I were a juror would be that he was lying under duress.
This guy should get so much more help and recognition
Cases like this infuriate the f**k out of me. I’ve watched DOZENS of interrogations, if not more, and they ALWAYS say “everyone has had a moment of bad judgment or a mistake, now is the time to MAN UP and own it, you’ll feel better”. It’s time for just ONE of these DA’s to do just that! This may have been the worst case of misjustice I’ve ever seen. I pray Bernie has nothing but good fortune the rest of his life and pray he gets exonerated.
We already know what you did; confess, and we will tell the judge you showed remorse. Even though cops have zero control over the prosecution or sentencing. They are all liars.
Agree with both of you!!! Hearing about the dad's cousin with 2 witnesses who saw him & one saw his truck in same area, plus the dad said she'd never live to see the money is criminal they didn't investigate the damn father!! Early on in this video, which I'd never heard of, I thought her husband did it!!
Right!!! They always say the same crap, “Yiu gotta get right with Jesus Christ” that was my favorite , “come clean to Jesus so you’ll feel better , I can see it on yiur face , yiur holding it in , u wanna let go so you’ll feel better “. Loser cops have no people skills whatsoever , I can get a real conversation out of a human better than anyone I promise, cops suck , not saying I’d get a confession but I’ll def get common ground start talking like real people not that fake cop talk,
absolutely not the worse case. what about all the black children given life in prison that are innocent. it happens every day.
@@AnyCommonSensecouldn’t agree more
These small towns and their “science” have put SO many innocent people behind bars, especially when they’re juvenile.
Look at his friend’s moms’ body language during that interview.
I dont know how one sleeps through such a thing as fighting and yelling
Thank you,
You cannot
If Michael is reading this - I'd feel privileged to be his friend. And his sisters are terrific!!
Poor Michael! that bike ride got me😢💔 he has lost so much yet he still manages to smile. I hope he and his mum gets the justice they deserve.
Do not worry. He will sue. Get married and have kids, you will hear from him again. Not in a good way
I bawled my eyes out, because he was treated so wrong and they went after the wrong person and destroyed this man’s life 💔 Go after the actual killers and give this beautiful family the Justice & Closure they deserve, and give Michael his life back and wipe his slate clean!!!! God Bless you Michael, I’m praying everything works out for you & your family ❤️
I failed 7th grade 3 times myself! It was due to my father dying I was having mental issues but that didn't make me a killer! Apparently this young man was suffering from his parents splitting up! I truly believe that. It also makes you rebel just cause of what you are feeling inside but it doesn't make you a killer! I loved my parents also my father was abusive but!, I loved him whole my whole heart and soul!! He suffered from being a alcoholic. I know that isn't an excuse but it is the way my dominoes fell in my life. I feel same happened with the young man he has a story a lot like mine but sadly some one stole his mothers life from them!!
The detectives and prosecutors who put this innocent boy behind bars for 24 years should themselves be put behind bars for 24 years. Despicable miscarriage of Justice. Railroading.
I believe him! I can't stand detectives who blames the first one they see...
.her son?? No. So wrong! He was a kid😢 the state owes him his life back!!
And already a record of domestic abuse and they blame the son? SMH
They have quotas to meet, or they can't be promoted.
If he was a woman or a wealthy older white male, they would not have been sent to prison.
@@Jsfreedomactually the real story is it they just want to close cases and be done with it. Is simple laziness. They simply don't want to do any work. They want to do as little as possible and get the public and their superiors off their back.
@@ir9567just stop
If a kid set his mom on fire I doubt he would take the time to try and put her out with a hose and call for help. More likely he would take off running. I can’t imagine how traumatic that was. I hope Michael is able to stay clean and live the life he was meant to live.
Well, see, what you are saying is using logic and making sense. I really don't think your typical cop has much use for either!
Horrific losses have happened in my life and during the initial hours i was so strangely numb i could hardly speak
Always maintain eye contact, looking down, around the room -avoiding direct eye contact implies guilt.
Never speak to the police with out a lawyer, EVER!!! I don't care how innocent you think you are the police can and will twist everything you say and even your rections etc!!!
@@tis621 Definitely a possibility, people have killed for way less that's for sure...
@@tis621 Or he had the cousin do it. He WAS spotted in town after all.
This right here... NEVER even if you're innocent! They want a conviction and will use your words against you. Especially if you have bad memory and forget details
@@tis621 The ex-huband: he didn't have to support ex-wife and didn't have to support the son since he was in jail. It was a win-win for him.
police doing what they are good at , lying . juries being led by nose , being IGNORANT of their duty ! conviction rates , notches in belts , not justice is what law enforcements cares about . they'd convict a ham sammich of killin Jesus
It makes me so upset when innocent people have their lives stolen away because police wanted to close the case
Because prosecutors wanted to close the case*****
Or because of career boosts for overzealous sheriffs
@@schnugelischnugg9812really? They do not get pay increases. It is the same from term to term. There are many, many open and cold cases sitting unsolved. You have watched shows on them. If you have troubles, I hope you can call law enforcement. I hope you never have reason to call them.
@@Faretheewell608 wth?? Did you read my post?? Well, in that case you can only hope that YOU are never in a situation, where they want you convicted of a crime you didnt commit WITH NO PROOF. have fun!
God bless you Michael. So happy you're free. You should never have been locked up.
He spent more time in prison as a free man than many vicious murders and criminals ever will in their entire lives. Seeing his joy at being "free" again is so heart sinking, as he never deserved to endure that treatment in the first place. But, you cannot expect justice in a system ran by CRIMINALS.
This guy lost years of his life because our system is broken. Nobody can give him back the time he lost. Glad he has a better attitude than me because I would be so bitter. Wishing him all the best with the rest of his life.
His friend unwittingly ruined Michael’s life. So much about this case really really sucks
Yes he did! It sucks in order to protect himself he lied about his friend pretty much. He should feel shame and guilt, he was old enough to know right from wrong and he chose to protect himself.
@@sarahwieland3243cut it out.. he didnt want to tell on his friend.. but he told the truth.. of course stories change decades later.. but this kid did it.. he killed his mom. they let a murderer out of prison..
@@BEAUTYnIQ You cut it out! You have no clue what you're talking about.
@@VictoriaMarch13 wrong.
witnesses usually tell the Truth the first time.. not decades later.. look it up its a proven statistic..
but ok.. you want to believe the paroled murderer.. ? YOU go live next to him, in his neighborhood.. YOU risk your own family, not mine.
I want to know if they checked the friend for blood, scratches, gasoline. It's suspicious, he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep, he said. But even with that I believe it was the ex husband who did it
And the moral of this episode is keep your kids on a short leash and make sure they're not skipping school and most important of all, NEVER talk to LE without a lawyer present.
This is so deep and so heart breaking
So the husband who threatened his ex-wife in court and lost in extremely contentious divorce hearing was not looked at as a suspect?
totally agree with you. Who does he know in the good old boys club?
@@x35mmman has to be something like that; has to be.
There is no way these cops were like the husband definitely didn't do it we don't even need to clear him. The boy though, you know totally dependent on his mother for everything and can't possibly have criminal sophistication must have done it leaving no evidence.
It has to be enough to investigate them for conspiracy.
Poor guy! I really hope he sues the state! What a way to grow up, 1st loosing his mama in such a horrible way then raised by prison 😥😥 I hope his life gets better from here on out. This is just so heartbreaking!
That’s just it, he can’t sue unless the state overturns the case and acknowledges wrongful conviction. It appears that is absolutely not going to happen with the state. They do not want to admit or owe this poor man a penny. They gave him freedom and that’s where it will most likely stay…disgusting.
The sad part is , the appeals are denied because the state never wants to admit they were wrong - image is more important to them than justice & it’s sickening .
Josh was the real problem.. he folded for literally no reason.
My heart so goes out to him.
Evil father and mate. This is ridiculous.
children are more than capapble of m*rder, they ae not as innocent as you think. look at the case of James Bulger.
Missouri AG and Governor should be ashamed of themselves. They are pure evil.
I hope they solve these murders. They matter and their families matter. 💕