Kennedy cousin finally tells all in Martha Moxley murder bombshell 50 years later
Nearly fifty years after the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley shocked the quiet community of Greenwich, Connecticut, the Kennedy cousin once prosecuted for the crime is publicly sharing his perspective for the first time.
Michael Skakel — a cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — spent 11 years in prison after being convicted of Moxley’s 1975 killing. Although he was released in 2013 and later had his conviction vacated, Skakel continues to insist he had no role in the crime that has long gripped national attention.
In NBC News’ new podcast, “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder,” Skakel opens up in detail about his childhood, his tumultuous family life, and his belief that he was wrongfully accused.
Moxley was last seen alive on Oct. 30, 1975, during the local “Mischief Night” tradition. She was beaten and stabbed with a golf club in her family’s yard — a club later sourced to the Skakel household. Early investigative efforts focused on Skakel’s older brother, Thomas, and the family’s tutor, Kenneth Littleton, before attention shifted to Michael, who was the same age as Moxley at the time.
For decades, Skakel stayed mostly silent. Now, he describes a childhood marked by strict Catholic expectations and what he portrays as severe emotional and physical abuse. He recounts being punished for taking Playboy magazines, feeling overshadowed by his brother, and being largely ignored while recovering from a broken neck. He also recalls being blamed by his father for his mother’s terminal illness — a moment he says left him wanting to die.
According to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman, who spoke to Fox News Digital, the trauma Skakel describes likely shaped his later behavior, including heavy drinking during adolescence. In 1978, after crashing his brother’s car, Skakel was sent to the notorious Élan School in Maine rather than face DUI charges. There, he says he was subjected to extreme punishments, constant monitoring, and violent confrontations designed to break students’ will.
After leaving Élan, Skakel was treated for PTSD and later built a life that included marriage and work as a ski instructor. But in 2000, a quarter-century after Moxley’s death, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Skakel turned himself in and was eventually tried as an adult. He was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years.
His legal battle continued for years. In 2013, a judge granted Skakel a new trial, ruling that his attorney had failed to provide adequate representation. In 2018, the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction altogether, and prosecutors opted not to retry the case.
Lieberman argues that Skakel should never have been imprisoned, citing the lack of forensic evidence and unresolved leads. She describes him as someone who has “played out a victim role throughout his life” as a result of long-standing trauma.
Although the question of who killed Martha Moxley remains unanswered, Skakel’s newly public account adds another layer to a case defined by mystery, media scrutiny, and decades of lingering doubt.
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