Kennedy Relative Michael Skakel Breaks 50-Year Silence as Martha Moxley Case Remains Unsolved

Fifty years after 15-year-old Martha Moxley was bludgeoned to death on the grounds of her family’s Connecticut home, questions persist about who was responsible. Michael Skakel, a cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was convicted in 2002 for the 1975 killing, served roughly 11 years behind bars and has long maintained his innocence. His conviction was vacated in 2018, and the case remains unresolved.

Key facts and timeline

On Oct. 30, 1975, Moxley spent the evening with friends on Mischief Night, the customary night before Halloween when teens play pranks. Witnesses later said she was seen with Thomas Skakel, Michael’s older brother, behind a fence near the Skakel family pool that night. Early on Oct. 31, Moxley’s body was discovered on her family’s estate. Her trousers were reported around her ankles and a broken golf club was found nearby; an autopsy determined she had been beaten and stabbed with the club.

Investigation, arrest and conviction

Initial investigations focused on a small number of people close to the scene, including Thomas Skakel and the family’s live-in tutor, Kenneth Littleton; neither was ever charged. Police later shifted their attention to Michael Skakel. After a warrant was issued, Skakel surrendered to authorities in January 2000. He was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. In June 2002, a jury convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to 20 years to life.

Appeals, vacated conviction and release

Defense lawyers and supporters raised concerns about the long delay between the crime and the trial, and about whether witnesses could reliably recall events that took place decades earlier. In 2013 a judge granted Skakel a new trial after finding deficiencies in his original legal representation. The Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction in May 2018, and prosecutors later declined to retry the case. Skakel has since spoken publicly about the case in a podcast series, saying he is innocent.

Voices from the family and observers

"Just because he’s out on the street doesn’t mean what we know isn’t right," Martha’s brother, John Moxley, said in a documentary about his sister. "It’s all about judges and technicalities. He will be in his own prison for the rest of his days."

Legal observers have noted the challenges investigators face when suspects are family members and many decades have passed. "When he was convicted, it was 27 years after the murder," said author John Clendening. "How much do you really remember about a certain night when you were 15, 16, or 17?" Wendy Murphy, a law professor, described the difficulty when only people within a family are the main suspects: family loyalty and shared legal strategies can complicate establishing evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

What remains unresolved

Key pieces of evidence — including the broken golf club reportedly traced to the Skakel household — and the long gaps between the crime, the investigation and the trial continue to fuel debate. With the conviction vacated and prosecutors not pursuing another trial, the murder of Martha Moxley remains officially unsolved. As public interest resurfaces, some observers say Skakel is taking the opportunity to present his side of the story, while the Moxley family continues to seek closure.

Current status: Conviction vacated (2018); no retrial pursued by prosecutors; case unresolved.