KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Two organizations that work to overturn wrongful convictions are joining together to expand their work in Missouri and the Midwest.
The Midwest Innocence Project and the MacArthur Justice Center announced their new partnership Thursday.
The two organizations have jointly filed a motion seeking to overturn the conviction of Michael Politte, who is serving a life sentence in the death of his mother in 1998 in Hopewell. He was 14 at the time she died.
The two organizations argue in a motion that evidence indicates Politte was not guilty of the crime and was convicted on the basis of now-debunked science. They are seeking Politte’s release or further court action on his case.
The two organizations said in a news release that working together will provide critical resources because the process of overturning a wrongful conviction is long, difficult and expensive.
“This new partnership will allow us to serve even more wrongfully convicted people and reduce the number of years individuals must spend waiting before they see justice,” said Tricia Rojo Bushnell, executive and legal director of the Midwest Innocence Project.
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