Introduction to the Case
It is, in many ways, a quintessentially American unsolved murder mystery. The victim was a rich and beautiful teenage girl found beaten to death with a golf club in a ritzy and supposedly safe Connecticut suburb. There was national news media frenzy followed by a stymied police investigation. And at the center of it all, there was murder suspect Michael Skakel, who also happens to be related to the fabled Kennedy family.
The Murder of Martha Moxley
The victim, 15-year-old Martha Moxley, was found dead beneath a tree in the backyard of her family home. Eventually, there would be celebrity cameos from another high-profile murder investigation in this unfolding drama. But 50 years after Moxley was found dead, there still is no definitive answer to the question: Who killed Martha Moxley?
Michael Skakel Speaks Out
Now, for the first time since his conviction in the killing of Moxley was overturned in 2013, Skakel is speaking at length about the death in Greenwich that sent him to prison for more than 11 years. “Um, my name is Michael Skakel and why am I being interviewed?” he asks veteran journalist Andrew Goldman in “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder,” NBC News Studios’ new podcast that makes its debut Tuesday. “I mean, that’s kind of a big question, isn’t it?”
The Skakel Family
On several occasions, Skakel and his brother Stephen Skakel were interviewed at the modest rental home they share in Norwalk, Connecticut, which is a far cry from the mansion in which they grew up. “For the first half of the 20th century, the Skakels were incalculably rich robber baron rich, a kind of wealth we now associate with the Koch brothers. Certainly richer than the Kennedys,” Goldman said. “Not so anymore.”
The Investigation and Trial
The first five episodes of the podcast delve into the history of the murder case that transfixed the country after Moxley was found dead Oct. 31, 1975, setting off a hunt for her killer that continues to this day. Goldman is not new to the Moxley case; he ghostwrote “Framed: Why Michael Skakel Spent Over a Decade in Prison for a Murder He Didn’t Commit,” a 2016 bestseller by Skakel’s cousin, now-Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After finishing his work on the book, Goldman continued to reinvestigate the case on his own for nearly a decade.
Skakel’s Childhood and the Murder
Skakel is the fifth of seven children born to Rushton and Anne Skakel, who were fabulously wealthy and ultraconservative Catholics. They were the nieces and nephews of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. The Skakel children lost their mother to cancer in 1972 and their father struggled with alcoholism. The family lived across the street from the Moxleys in a Tudor-style mansion. Moxley was last seen alive Oct. 30, 1975, when she was hanging out with a group of friends that included then 15-year-old Skakel and his older brother Thomas Skakel on Mischief Night.
The Aftermath and Reinvestigation
Skakel said his life was a horror show before Moxley died. Skakel said his father beat him at age 9 when he found him with some Playboy magazines and often beat him for no reason at all. “He was about as Orthodox Catholic as it got,” Skakel said of his father. “I just never knew when it was going to happen. I didn’t know why it happened.” Skakel made it through reform school and rebuilt his life. He stopped drinking in 1982, got married in 1991 and later had a son. He earned a college degree in 1993 and competed on the international speed skiing circuit.
Conclusion
The case of Martha Moxley’s murder remains a mystery, with many questions still unanswered. Michael Skakel’s conviction was overturned, but the truth about what happened that night may never be fully known. The podcast "Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder" provides a deeper look into the case and Skakel’s story, raising more questions about the investigation and the justice system.
FAQs
Q: Who was Martha Moxley?
A: Martha Moxley was a 15-year-old girl who was found murdered in her backyard in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1975.
Q: Who is Michael Skakel?
A: Michael Skakel is a member of the Skakel family, who were related to the Kennedy family, and was convicted of Moxley’s murder in 2002. His conviction was later overturned in 2013.
Q: What is the podcast "Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder" about?
A: The podcast is a deep dive into the case of Martha Moxley’s murder and features interviews with Michael Skakel, who speaks publicly about the case for the first time since his conviction was overturned.
