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Finding nothing, the police left and issued a routine alert for Martha Elizabeth Moxley, five-foot-five, 120 pounds, long blonde hair, blue eyes, last seen wearing a blue parka and dungarees. Prosecutors called Skakel family friend Andrea Shakespeare, who had been at the Skakel house that night. However, to my mind the actual location should be further from the house. Only a few hundred feet and Martha would have been safely home. Thomas Skakels family, however, already had the money and the clout to insure fair treatment. Martha Moxley, 15, fails to show up at home after roaming her neighborhood in Greenwich with friends. A fifteen-year-old girl hadnt turned up at home and her mother was a bit overwrought. Martha's mother Dorthy spoke with "48 Hours" in 2000. But that theory seemed flimsy to many people. Father Richard Manus eulogized her as a bubbly girl who made more friends than most people make in a lifetime. Just recently, he noted, Martha Moxley had mused to a girlfriend that when she died she wanted her funeral to be happy, with friends remembering all the good times. Instead, as nine friends approached Marthas coffin with yellow roses, they burst into tears. They were all friends and I cant believe, I will never believe that they were playing one moment and he killed her the next., This is the other half of the tragedy of Martha Moxley. In 2013, after spending 11-and-a-half years in prison, Michael Skakel got a huge break when a judge agreed that Skakel's representation had been inadequate and overturned his conviction, granting him a new trial. On September 12, Martha wrote in her diary about going for ice cream with Michael and Tommy: "Went driving in Tom's car I was practically sitting on Tom's lap He kept putting his hand on my knee.". So, Kennedy and Michael's attorneys tracked Bryant down in Florida. Outside of court, he told reporters that he still believed Skakel was responsible for his sisters death. Martha Moxley's body had been dragged through the high grass in her family's backyard and left under a tree. Although Coleman had died from a drug overdose before the trial began, his testimony from an earlier hearing was read to the jury. There is lots of evidence that ties them to the crime. In 2000, Michael Skakel was charged with her murder. Larry Shoenbach: Nobody saw Al Hasbrouck, nobody they would've seen a young guy, a Black man in a very, very white community and a big guy. Remember, Michael told police that around 9:30 p.m., he had left to go to his cousin Jimmy Terrien's home and Martha had stayed behind with Tommy. They never . MICKEY SHERMAN: He was going to invoke the Fifth Amendment no matter what we did. For the investigators believed that the murderer . On one side are the Moxleys, a tight-knit family of four who moved from Northern California to Connecticut's prestigious enclave of Belle Haven just a year before Martha's slaying. When we pressed him about it, he got up from the interview chair. Eighteen-year-old Peter Reilly initially confessed to the 1973 killing of his mother in Canaan. She was last seen by Thomas Skakel, whom she had kissed that night, in the Skakel backyard. Michael Skakel was convicted for Martha's murder. He was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. You've lost it all," Martha's childhood friend Tori Holland told "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty in "The Diary of Martha Moxley". Tori Holland: Their father traveled quite a bit. You should also label each packet with the variety name, date, and a brief description (e.g. Dorothy Moxley sensed that her daughters absence was not routine. She had a 9:30 p.m. curfew and she wouldnt stay away without calling. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Updated on: June 2, 2022 / 10:08 AM Now, for the first time since Martha Moxley was murdered, her childhood friends Richard Burns and Tori Holland are speaking together to "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty. While murder took one victim, the ensuing mystery and accompanying gossip has taken another. Using Natural Predators He also fired Ken Littleton whose life unraveled shortly after. Forty-five years to the day after 15-year-old Martha Moxley went missing, prosecutors for the state of Connecticut said Friday that they would not retry Michael Skakel in her brutal slaying. The next day Moxley was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death, and a broken golf club was found near her body. Len Levitt (2003): There's an allegation, which is false, that William Kennedy Smith was at the Skakel house the night of the murder. Police Chief Baran initially theorized that an outsider, a hitchhiker perhaps, could have made his way into the elegant Belle Haven enclave, possibly from the nearby Connecticut Turnpike, to attack Martha. On October 4, 1975, a little over three weeks before her murder, Martha wrote: "I went to a party Tom S. was being an ass. Richard Burns: Years later, I ended up playing some golf with him a bunch of times. In 1975, Moxley's 15-year-old daughter, Martha, was brutally murdered bludgeoned and stabbed to death with a golf club in the exclusive, gated community of Belle Haven, Connecticut. On October 30, 1975, 15-year old Martha Moxley left her home to join her friends in her town's "mischief night", where neighborhood kids would run around to cause trouble in the posh and . I mean, it was everywhere. After 10 witnesses testified that Michael allegedly made incriminating statements about killing Martha, the jury took four days and found him guilty, sentencing him to 20 years-to life. Richard Burns: And I just thought that was kind of a cheap shot. At the dance he kept putting his arms around me making moves.". The autopsy by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elliot Gross concluded that Martha Moxley died of multiple lacerations of the skull and contusions and lacerations of the brain. Martha was not just struck down, but was beaten repeatedlywith an iron golf club. Two years earlier, the seven Skakel siblings lost their mom Anne to cancer. That infuriated Michael's brother, Stephen. But there were problems with that theory. A Warner Bros. They consulted pathologists and psychiatrists to develop a profile of the killers probable personality and motivation. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The deadline for sending in seeds was October 15th, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved. Larry Shoenbach: To coin a phrase, it's Black versus White. He also said that of 51 potential witnesses, 17 of them are now deceased. Beyond this, circumstance would have made it extremely difficult for an outsider to sneak in and out of Belle Haven unnoticed, especially that fateful night. by Bipin Dimri. State of Connecticut Dept. The "Dicky" she mentioned is actually Richard Burns, who says he was with Martha much of that night. I was like, "Oh my God, did they see me last night?". After 18 months and more than 40 witnesses, the grand jury indicted Michael Skakel for murder 24 years after Martha's death. Years went by, and Martha's murder became a cold case. Sherman also failed to convince the judge to allow tommy to testify, which could have raised doubts about Michael's involvement. A life, that in Martha's own words, was full of hope. State's attorney [2020 hearing] Looking at the evidence your honor, looking at the the state of the case, it is my belief that the state cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Skakel's team argued that these missed opportunities would have created "reasonable doubt" for the jury, and the judge agreed. And hell tap on our door and say I want to tell you what really happened.". HUBERT SANTOS: You knew that Tommy Skakel was the last person to see Martha Moxley alive? Tori Holland: You have no sense of peace. Check out the Martha Moxley . Lynne Tuohy: It was a Toney Penna 6-iron golf club. Lynne Tuohy: In 2016, the Connecticut Supreme Court in a sharply divided decision reinstates his conviction, saying the defense was adequate. Following Colangelos announcement, neither Skakel nor his attorney addressed the court. The Skakel family business, founded in 1919, controlled a large enough share of the coke market that the Federal Trade Commission charged in 1969 that the firm had too much market power in the field. David Cameron 'Touch DNA' may identify Moxley killer. Al Hasbrouck declined to be interviewed, and "48 Hours" was unable to reach Burton Tinsley. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. Theres an unwritten rule in Greenwich, says a town fireman who has lived here all his life. The lawyer for Michael Skakel, who is charged with the 1975 killing of the teenager, Martha Moxley, said he might seek to preserve the mansion so jurors could visit it. TONY BRYANT: There is no doubt in my mind that they were involved. But in 2020, prosecutors said they would not retry him. It was in the same family for a very very long time. Martha's friends told police that Tommy wanted to date her, but his advances may not have always been welcomed. I hope to God nobody saw me j----- off." 5:32 PM EDT, Fri October 30, 2020. "I know I talked to Tommy once or twice, Martha wasn't there," Dorthy said. Len Levitt: Michael and Martha are in the front seat of the Skakel car . Lynne Tuohy: It came from a set owned by Anne Skakel, Michael's and Tommy's late mother. MICKEY SHERMAN [to reporters outside courthouse]: Michael's defense and his only defense is that he did not commit this crime. Correspondent Lesley Stahl asked Benedict about it. Armed with Bryant's story, Skakel's defense team requested a new trial. Judy Tygard is the executive producer, First published on November 6, 2021 / 10:59 PM. Burton Tinsley and Al Hasbrouck don't deny that they had been to belle haven on several occasions. The property's current owners have applied for a permit to demolish the house. Since 1975, the tony neighborhood of Belle Haven, in Greenwich, Connecticut has been haunted by the death of Martha Moxley, a 15-year-old girl who was bludgeoned with a golf club. For this, Skakel, too, suffers a special kind of hell. Lynne Tuohy: He moved to Nantucket, he drank heavily, did drugs committed crimes of petty larceny. Richard Burns: You know, Michael's going to walk around the rest of his life with that on his head No matter whether or not it's been vacated by the court, public opinion matters. A few months after trial, Michael Skakel's cousin, Robert Kennedy Jr., accused the prosecutor of deliberately misrepresenting Michael's words in that closing argument. The firm spent . They scared me a little bit. The search for the teenager ended in tragedy when her bludgeoned body was found in their backyard. Steve Carroll: We didn't even know what color hair she had because it was all blood red and all of the blows or damage were all to her head. Michael answered the door. During the final summer of her life, Martha had become friends with two of the Skakel brothers, Michael, who was 15 years old, and his older brother Tommy. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She wanted to meet everybody. Police initially swarmed all over the Skakel estate where Martha was last seen alive. As a result, the state faces a difficult choice whether . In fact, in that same book proposal for his autobiography, Michael wrote: "I wanted her to be my girlfriend.". Steve Carroll [2000]: she had been bludgeoned right near the driveway because there was a huge pool of blood. Using Martha's diary as evidence, Kennedy claims that three weeks before her murder, Martha wrote that she saw Tony and two strangers at a dance, but that's not quite accurate. Michael told police that after watching "Monty Python's Flying Circus" at his cousin Jimmy Terrien's house, he came home around 11:30 p.m. and went straight to bed, but he told his dad's investigators another story: MICHAEL SKAKEL (audio recording): And I remember thinking, oh my God, if I tell anybody that I was out that night, they're going to say I did it. Martha was no run-around and certainly not a runaway. JUDGE: Michael Skakel versus the state of Connecticut has been concluded. The one you posted was the one to the west. TONY BRYANT: I knew who they were implying. At the dance, he kept putting his arms around me and making moves.". By the time Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel was convicted of the murder of his neighbor Martha Moxley in 2002, more than quarter of a century had gone by since Martha's bludgeoned body was discovered under a tree on the Moxley property. I concur Michael is the murderer. Moxley went missing on October 30, 1975, after a night of partying with Skakel, his older brother Tommy Skakel and other teenagers in an affluent gated community in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was daylight when Martha's body was found, but based on reports of neighborhood dogs barking the night before, investigators believed that Martha was killed sometime between 9:30 and 10 p.m., around the time she was thought to be at the Skakels. It's the Black guy Let's blame him why not. Lynne Tuohy: This case has been a long and winding road, a very painful case emotionally for many people. Gregory Coleman recounted to a local news reporter what he says Michael Skakel told him when they attended Elan, a reform school. Theres a lot of resentment that they havent found the murderer and people think they are shielding someone, says Josephine Evaristo, who for forty-three years has been an elected representative to Greenwichs governing body, the Representative Town Meeting. MICHAEL SKAKEL (audio recording): I pulled my pants down, I masturbated for 30 seconds in the tree and I remember thinking, "Oh, my God. The group was playing harmless Halloween pranks like doorbell ditch and generally having a good time in each others' company. 5-7 oz Orange, mid season). After 11-and-a-half years in prison, Michael Skakel walked out of the courthouse no longer a convicted killer. Hannah Vair is the associate producer. Skakel, 60 and the nephew of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, served roughly half of a 20-year sentence for Moxleys death. On the night of October 30, 1975, sixteen-year-old Martha Moxley was hanging out with her friends in their upscale neighborhood. then I woke up to Mrs. Moxley saying, "Michael have have you seen Martha?" To the four cops dispatched to the Moxley estate, the call was routine. He looks pained as he begins, I would do anything I could to solve that case, because until it is solved its just a bitter thing. And one portion of the shaft was driven through her neck. Since then, its been unclear if a new trial would be held. Dorthy to this day remains convinced Martha was killed by Michael Skakel. And Michael was allegedly there. Kennedy says Bryant wouldn't testify without immunity, so Skakel's attorneys played his video statement. Erin Moriarty: Do you remember either of the Skakels having a crush on Martha? That decision was ultimately upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court. But then he described a very different scenario to those private investigators. Hes a good boy, a lovely boy. Investigators honed in on the Skakel tutor, speculating that his downfall could be rooted in his involvement in Martha's murder. Tori Holland and Richard Burns have waited decades to speak publicly about the event that forever marked their lives: the death of their friend Martha Moxley. Moxley, who was 15 at the time, was beaten to death with a golf club on Oct. 30, 1975 in the Belle Haven neighborhood in Greenwich. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case. Larry Shoenbach: With no facts and no evidence, he continues to put forth this lie as a way of trying to clear his cousin and, I guess, by extension, the Kennedy name. Kennedy got a tip that a former classmate of Michael Skakel, a man named Tony Bryant, was claiming he knew the identity of Martha Moxley's killers. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much On the other hand, Chief Baran likes to imagine another ending: You never know when somebody is going to tap on our door, someone who remembered some little detail, someone who may have told us one thing, but then had trouble sleeping. GREENWICH An attempt to track down an old golf club handle, which defense lawyers hope might cast additional light on a longtime murder investigation into the 1975 death of Martha Moxley, is being tied up over procedural issues, the lawyers say. TONY BRYANT: Well, that night We decided to go up to Greenwich and hang out . She was struck down on the Moxley property, at a spot clearly visible from Walsh Lane and only several steps short of her front driveway. It was Stairway to Heaven. The report was an eye-opener. In December, 1966, Kathleen Skakel, his daughter, drove a convertible over a bump in a Greenwich road and a seven-year- old girl was thrown out of the back seat and killed. The house built on the old building site is much larger. HUBERT SANTOS: Was there anybody else at the home? But the town also has more than 8 percent unemployment; hundreds of families in housing projects and on welfare, and thousands more just getting by. Rushton Skakel's sister Ethel had married Robert Kennedy in 1950. Benedict is referring to all those admissions Michael allegedly made to killing Martha, like the one to Elan classmate Gregory Coleman. There was a long blood trail clearly showing she was dragged. No amount of money is going to influence us, I dont care whether its a Kennedy or Pope Paul. Nonetheless, early rumors persisted because as a local lawyer says, People who live alongside the rich or work for the rich cant find anything more fascinating to talk about than murder among the rich. The stories grew wilder with timethe rich kid (Thomas Skakel) had been shipped overseas to avoid prosecution; Teddy Kennedy had come to Greenwich secretly and fixed things up a la Chappaquiddick; and so on. She was then dragged more than a hundred feet to beneath the spreading pine tree. Tori Holland: I did not know she was spending the time that she was spending with them. Moxleys brother, John, addressed the court to thank law enforcement and express his agreement with the decision not to pursue a retrial. of Emergency Services & Public Protection. The style was They break people down., There is no end to the story of Martha Moxleys killing, at least not yet. Bryant says he wanted no part of it, so he left Belle Haven. Should authorities have looked elsewhere? Richard Burns: But everybody in Greenwich, you know, was very kind of reserved North-Eastern personalities. After hearing from Coleman and other former Elan students, state's attorney Jonathan Benedict convened an unusual and rarely used one-person grand jury to look at all the evidence and all the suspects in the case. Authorities found no evidence to prove Littleton was involved. appreciated. In 1991, the trial of another Kennedy cousin - William Kennedy Smith - who was charged with rape in Florida, but acquitted, would open a new chapter in the Moxley case. Their father Rushton struggled to parent them. He kept telling me that I was leading Tom on Michael jumps to conclusions. (Rushtons brother, George, used to keep a mated pair of giant sea lions in the backyard. Dorothy Moxley sensed that her daughter's absence was not "routine." She had a 9:30 p.m. curfew and she wouldn't stay away without calling. All his statement did was breed more of the same rumors, says attorney William Lapcevic, then Greenwichs assistant town counsel. VITO COLUCCI: So, do you believe that they killed her? Tori Holland: My backyard sort of melded into her front yard. In 2002 Michael Skakel was convicted for Moxley's murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison; that conviction was eventually overturned, reinstated, and overturned again in 2018. Dorthy Moxley: I was getting more worried and more worried. Len Levitt (2003): Tommy's story is that he last sees her at 9:30 and he goes inside home to write a paper on Abraham Lincoln. The mystery has attracted . In 1955, George Skakel, Sr., Rushtons father and the founder of Great Lakes Carbon, along with his wife Anne, took off from Bridgeport Airport in the company plane, a converted World War II bomber. she was a joy to be around. In 2018, the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his murder conviction and ordered a new trial. But the youth claims the cops have kept after him and, in their way, harrassed him until his family finally hired a lawyer for his protection. Everywhere I went, there was a cop following me, sometimes in an unmarked car, sometimes not. This treatment culminated on his eighteenth birthday last April 14, when, Thomas says, he went to Boodles, a local watering spot, for his first legal drink with some friends. Robert Kennedy Jr.: It appeared to anybody who looked at it that he was confessing- that he was saying that he was panicked because he had committed this crime. On October 30, 2020, 45 years after Martha Moxley's murder, the State of Connecticut announced Michael Skakel would not be retried. The demolition of the home where a teenager was killed 25 years ago could be delayed by the trial of the man accused of murdering her. At the time of her death, the girl was only fifteen. And Michael Skakel claimed that Sherman failed to focus on a more viable suspect in Moxley's murder: Michael's own brother, Tommy. Tori Holland: I was still in shock that she was gone but that this had to be a beautiful tribute to her, to send her off. Robert Kennedy Jr: Mickey Sherman, instead of doing that, instead of calling, never talked to that witness. Len Levitt (2003): Tommy comes and joins them so the three of them are sitting in the front seat. Tori Holland: Somebody would have seen strangers and recognized that they were strangers. The state's case hinged on the theory that enraged with jealousy over Martha's relationship with Tommy, Michael had killed her in a drunken rage.