Kennedy cousin will not be retried in 1975 killing
STAMFORD, Conn. — A prosecutor said Friday that Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel will not face a second trial in the killing of Martha Moxley, an announcement that came 45 years to the day after the teenager was bludgeoned to death in her wealthy Connecticut neighborhood.
Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said at a hearing at Stamford Superior Court that the case could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Skakel, a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy’s widow, Ethel Kennedy, was convicted of murder in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Several appeals followed. After serving 11 years behind bars, Skakel was freed in 2013 on $ 1.2 million bail after a judge overturned his conviction, saying his trial lawyer failed to adequately represent him. The state Supreme Court upheld the ruling in 2018, and the U. S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state’s appeal last year.
Moxley’s brother, John, said outside the courthouse that he still believes Skakel killed his sister but he and their mother, Dorthy, are at peace with the decision not to seek a second trial.
“His life will never be the same. Mine will never be the same. I wouldn’t want to walk a mile in his shoes,” Moxley said.
Skakel did not comment. His attorney, Stephan Seeger, said Skakel is innocent.
“He’s been innocent from day one. This crime should have never been something that ended up in a trial in the first place,” Seeger said.
The case drew wide attention because of the Kennedy name, Skakel’s rich family, numerous theories about who killed Moxley and the brutal way in which she died — beaten with a golf club owned by the Skakel family.
A retrial would have presented several difficulties for prosecutors. There was a lack of forensic and eyewitness evidence against Skakel. A new alibi witness emerged. And a key witness who said Skakel confessed is dead.