ID’s Halloween Horror revisits Martha Moxley’s mysterious murder in a quaint Connecticut town on Halloween of 1975. The TV special is scheduled to air on Investigation Discovery on Friday, October 27, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET.
In the afternoon hours of October 31, 1975, Martha’s brutally bludgeoned and stabbed body was found behind her family’s Belle Haven property. Investigators suspected the killer attacked the 15-year-old elsewhere the night before and later dragged the body to that area.
Two decades later, a one-person jury indicted Michael Skakel, known for his connection with the Kennedys, for the murder. This was followed by Michael’s conviction in August 2002 and a 20-year sentence. After eleven years, a Connecticut judge reversed his conviction but the Supreme Court reinstated the same in 2016. The state’s highest court once again reversed the decision two years later.
Martha Moxley’s murder: Is Michael Skakel guilty?
According to CBS News, on the night of her murder, Martha Moxley went to the Skakel house to hang out with her friends Michael, 15, and Tommy, 17. The Skakels were cousins of the Kennedys. Rushton Skakel was the sole parent to both boys after losing his wife to cancer.
The outlet further reported that police investigated the Skakels first because they were the last people to have seen Martha alive. Investigators hit a dead end after learning that both Michael and Tommy had strong alibis. Moreover, Rushton also ended their family’s cooperation with them in the murder case. Following this, the years passed and the case went cold without any arrests.
Martha’s murder case only made progress after a leaked report revealed that Michael climbed a tree outside the victim’s room and masturbated on the night she was murdered. Other reports also alleged that he admitted to the killing while attending reform school in 1978. A student named Gregory Coleman reportedly claimed that Michael said, “I’m going to get away with murder. I’m a Kennedy.”
Why was Michael Skakel’s conviction vacated?
People Magazine reported that Michael Skakel’s arrest in 2000 was a major breakthrough in Martha Moxley’s cold case. He faced murder charges and stood trial in May 2002 which resulted in a conviction. Then in August of the same year, he received a 20-year prison sentence. The convict was 42 years old at the time.
Michael has long maintained his innocence and after multiple appeals, a Connecticut judge ordered a new trial in 2013, citing that his defense was ineffective. After serving eleven years in prison and a re-trial, he walked free in 2013 after the judge vacated his conviction.
Then on December 30, 2016, the state’s Supreme Court reinstated Michael’s conviction, ruling that his legal representation was competent at the time of the trial. However, two years later, the court reversed its decision and once again vacated his conviction.
In October 2020, the State of Connecticut announced that Michael Skakel would not be retried in Martha Moxley’s murder.
