Kennedy Cousin Breaks Silence: Michael Skakel Recounts Troubled Childhood as Martha Moxley Case Remains Unsolved

Kennedy Cousin Breaks Silence After Decades in the Martha Moxley Murder Case

Fifty years after 15-year-old Martha Moxley was beaten and stabbed to death outside her Greenwich, Connecticut, home, Michael Skakel — a cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — has spoken publicly for the first time since his 2002 conviction was overturned. In the NBC News podcast "Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder," Skakel recounts his upbringing, time at a controversial residential program and his perspective on the long-unsolved killing.

Case Background

Moxley was last seen on Oct. 30, 1975, the evening known locally as "Mischief Night." An autopsy found she had been struck and stabbed with a golf club; investigators later traced that club to the Skakel family property. Early inquiries examined several people, including Thomas "Tommy" Skakel (Michael's older brother) and the family tutor, Kenneth Littleton, before authorities ultimately charged Michael, who was 15 at the time.

Skakel’s Account: Childhood and Trauma

On the podcast Skakel describes a strict, punitive household and a childhood marked by physical punishment and emotional neglect. He recalls being disciplined for minor infractions, feeling his parents favored his older brother, and being isolated while recovering from a childhood injury. He also recounted disturbing family episodes surrounding his mother’s terminal illness and his early struggles with alcohol.

"You make me sick. If you only did better in school, your mother wouldn't have to be in the hospital,"

Skakel says his father told him. "I just wanted to die," he told podcast hosts when describing that period.

Élan School and Aftermath

Following a 1978 car crash, Skakel was sent to the controversial Élan School in Maine. He describes harsh discipline, humiliating group confrontations and attempts to escape; after leaving Élan he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and later spent time at a residential facility in California.

Legal Journey

Skakel surrendered to police on Jan. 19, 2000, after an arrest warrant was issued. He was convicted of murder by a 12-member jury in Norwalk Superior Court on June 7, 2002, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He served roughly 11 years before a judge granted him a new trial in 2013, finding his trial attorney provided ineffective assistance by failing to call an alibi witness. On May 4, 2018, the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction, and prosecutors later declined to retry the case.

Where Things Stand

Skakel maintains his innocence and is seeking to clear his name publicly. Forensic experts and observers cited lingering questions about the original investigation, a lack of decisive forensic evidence, and the role of media coverage in shaping public perception. As of now, the central question — who killed Martha Moxley — remains unresolved.

Why It Matters

The Moxley case touches on issues of trauma, media influence, the reliability of long-delayed prosecutions, and how family dynamics can shape both individual lives and criminal investigations. Skakel’s new public account adds personal context to those themes, but it does not close the decades-long mystery surrounding Moxley’s death.

Sources: NBC News podcast "Dead Certain," court records, contemporaneous reporting.