In October 1975, a 15-year-old girl named Martha Moxley was beaten to death with a golf club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Twenty-seven years later, a neighbor, Michael Skakel (who was also 15 in 1975), was convicted of the crime. After serving ten years in prison, in 2013, a judge set aside Skakel’s conviction and he was freed from prison. His case is now in the hands of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
While waiting to hear if the prosecutors’ request to reinstate the murder conviction will be granted, Skakel’s appellate lawyer said in at a court hearing earlier this year that “jurors should have been told that Skakel’s brother, Thomas, could have carried out the killing.” Thomas Skakels’ attorney said his client is innocent. The Skakel’s cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. believes Michael is innocent and claims to know who the real killers are – two visitors from New York City. He details his claims in the book Framed: Why Michael Skakel Spent Over a Decade In Prison For a Murder He Didn’t Commit. Kennedy will also discuss the case on Dateline NBC on Friday, July 15 at 10pm.
