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Martha Moxley, 15, Greenwich CT, went out for some pre Halloween shenanigans October 30, 1975. Martha's Story -- The night before Halloween was commonly known as "mischief night" or "doorbell night". Martha and her friends set out for an night of harmless pranks; spraying shaving cream, throwing eggs and toilet paper around the neighborhood before stopping at the home of Tommy and Michael Skakel, the nephews of Ethel Kennedy, widow of the late N.Y. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.. The next day, Martha was found beaten to death in her own back yard, the blows inflicted with a golf club. Michael said in a book proposal that he tried to kiss her on the fatal night. Before the trial, a business owner in Miami, Tres Mills, former classmate of Tony and Michael at Brunswick School in Greenwich, said two friends were the killers. He gave this information to the prosecutors and Michael's former defense lawyer, Mickey Sherman. Tony claims Tres and his friends picked up golf clubs in the Skakel yard to attack a girl "caveman style." They were talking about Martha. Tony wanted no part of it and left Belle Haven shortly after 9 p.m. to return by train to New York. He learned of Martha's murder the next day, and his friends admitted their role. Prosecutors ask the jury to consider lesser charges against Skakel -- The prosecutors want the jury to consider manslaughter in the 1st degree by reason of extreme emotional disturbance. This is not insanity, it's passion, grief, anger, an intense feeling. Manslaughter one explains why a murder happened, and is usually asked for by the defense. With murder, the state has the burden of proof, but with manslaughter defense has the burden of proof. The Sutton Report -- Report allegedly commissioned in 1992 from Sutton Associates, a detective agency, by Rushton Skakel, Michael's father, to investigate the murder. The Murder Case That Just Wouldn't Go Away -- What may have held back the investigation also may have been what kept it going. 25 years after Martha was beaten to death with a golf club, her neighbor, Michael, stood accused. He maintained his innocence, but former classmates say he confessed to the shocking crime. A former resident of a Maine reform school Michael Skakel attended in the 1970's told her his brother had a romantic encounter with his 'girlfriend.' 27 years after the murder of Martha, there is a verdict.. Follow the case and learn about key figures in this case. Michael was tried on virtually no evidence and convicted for the murder of Martha and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. The van is pulled way from the courthouse with Michael shackled. He is being taken to Bridgeport Correctional Facility, people clapped as the van left. For
prosecutors, it came down to tale of tapes Dorothy, John Moxley Discuss Skakel's Sentence. Update: Ghosts of Greenwich -- Robert Kennedy Jr. talks about new clues and possible new suspects in the murder. Two young men were allegedly in the gated Belle Haven community in Greenwich, Conn., the night of the murder. He also elicited details from Bryant. New Clues In Moxley Case Hope Seeley, defense lawyer for Skakel said September 6, 2003, her client will seek a new trial based on new evidence focusing on Gitano "Tony" Bryant, cousin of NBA player Kobe Bryant. Kari & Associates Copyright Kari Sable 1994-2006 |
