Michael Skakel
| Martha Moxley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 16, 1960 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1975 (aged 15) Belle Haven, Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Homicide by blunt trauma |
| Body discovered | October 31, 1975 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known for | Murder victim |
| Website | www.marthamoxley.com |
| Michael Skakel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Christopher Skakel September 19, 1960 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal status | Freed on bail |
| Spouse(s) | Margot Sheridan (m. 1991; div. 2001) |
| Children | 1 |
| Conviction(s) | 20 years to life |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 1 |
| Date | October 30, 1975 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Connecticut |
| Location(s) | Greenwich, Connecticut |
| Weapons | Six-iron golf club |
|
Date apprehended
|
January 19, 2000 |
| Imprisoned at | Free on bond on appeal |
Martha Moxley (August 16, 1960 – October 30, 1975) of Greenwich, Connecticut, was a 15-year-old American high school student who was murdered in 1975. She was last seen alive spending time at the home of the Skakel family, across the street from her home in Belle Haven. Michael Skakel, also 15 at the time, was convicted in 2002 of murdering Moxley and sentenced to 20 years to life. In 2013, he was granted a new trial by a Connecticut judge and released on $1.2 million bail. On December 30, 2016, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4–3 to reinstate Skakel's conviction.
The case attracted worldwide publicity as Skakel is a nephew of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, the widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy from the Kennedy family.
On the evening of October 30, 1975, Martha Moxley left with friends to attend "Mischief Night", where the neighbourhood kids pull pranks like ringing bells and toilet papering houses. According to friends, Moxley began flirting with and eventually kissed Thomas Skakel, Michael's brother. Moxley was last seen "falling together behind the fence" with Thomas Skakel near the pool in the Skakel backyard at around 9:30 p.m.
The next day, Moxley's body was found underneath a tree in her family's backyard. Her trousers and underwear were pulled down, but she had not been sexually assaulted. Pieces of a broken six-iron golf club were found near the body. An autopsy indicated she had been both bludgeoned and stabbed with the club, which was traced back to the Skakel home.
Thomas Skakel was the last person known to have been seen with Moxley the night of the murder and had a weak alibi. He became the prime suspect, but his father forbade access to his school and mental health records. Kenneth Littleton, who had started working as a live-in tutor for the Skakel family only hours before the murder, also became a prime suspect. However, no one was charged, and the case languished for decades. In the meantime, several books were published about the murder, including Timothy Dumas' A Wealth of Evil; the novel A Season in Purgatory by Dominick Dunne, a fictional account of the case; and Murder in Greenwich, by Mark Fuhrman.
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