Supreme Court won’t hear Skakel case

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it is leaving in place a decision that vacated a murder conviction against Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel.

Skakel was convicted in 2002 of the 1975 bludgeoning death of Martha Moxley, who lived across the street from the Skakel family in Greenwich, Conn., and whose body was found in her family’s backyard. Both Skakel and Moxley were 15 at the time of her death.

The high court’s refusal to hear the case means that a 2018 decision by Connecticut’s highest court throwing out Skakel’s conviction will stand. Connecticut’s highest court based its decision on Skakel’s attorney’s failure to seek out an additional alibi witness.

Skakel served more than 11 years in prison before being freed on $1.2 million bail in 2013 when a judge overturned his conviction, citing errors by his lead trial lawyer.

But Connecticut’s Supreme Court reinstated Skakel’s conviction in December 2016, ruling 4-3 that Skakel was adequately represented.

However, the court reversed itself after a new justice sided with the three judges that questioned Skakel’s representation at trial.

Although it would be difficult, the state could retry Skakel, who is a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy’s widow, Ethel Kennedy. Several Connecticut prosecutors declined comment Monday.

Moxley’s mother, Dorthy Moxley, 86, said Monday she was disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision adding that she will support whatever decision prosecutors make about whether to retry him.