Six years after his murder conviction in the death of 15-year-old Martha Moxley was vacated, Michael Skakel is facing charges in his home state of Connecticut for concealing evidence that could have saved him an 11-year prison sentence. is suing the investigating authorities.
The nephew of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, a cousin of the Kennedy family and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, names as defendants the city of Greenwich, the Greenwich Police Department, the Connecticut State Attorney's Office, and the detective who led the investigation into the 1975 Moxley bludgeoning. did.
“He was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison for the sensational murder of Kennedy's cousin, which he did not commit,” lawyer Stephen Seeger told local newspaper Greenwich Time.
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Michael Skakel, who was photographed leaving a Norwalk courthouse in 2002, was convicted the same year of bludgeoning Martha Moxley, 15, to death in 1975. (Beth Kaiser Poole/Getty Images)
“Try to pick up where you left off under a dark cloud,” the lawyer told local media. “Of course it's not something he can get away with. Why would anyone do that? It's time the untold stories leading up to wrongful convictions are heard and those responsible held accountable.” That's what civil rights litigation is all about.''
The Connecticut Supreme Court reversed Skakel's 2002 conviction in 2018, after he served more than 11 years in prison, because his attorney failed to present alibi evidence on his behalf. Two years later, state prosecutors announced they would not retry Skakel and dropped the charges, according to the Associated Press.
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At the time, prosecutors said only 17 of the 51 potential witnesses in the case were still alive to take the stand, the Hartford Courant reported.
Skakel's lawsuit alleges that the evidence was submitted “despite being requested by the defense in discovery proceedings or under any other legally binding obligation to turn over the evidence to the court.” Skakel) and his trial attorneys.'' Plaintiff's attorney team. ”
Martha Moxley was found dead on October 31, 1975, after going out for a prank the night before. Her autopsy revealed that she had been beaten with a club. The murder weapon found at the crime scene was identified as belonging to the Skakel family. (Getty Images)
In 1975, Skakel and Moxley were both 15 years old and living across the street. On October 30th of that year, Moxley met up with a group of her friends to pull a prank on Prank Night.
Friends say Moxley flirted with and kissed Thomas Skakel, Michael's older brother, that night. Around 9:30 that night, she and her brother were seen “slumped together behind a fence” near the Skakel family's pool, according to the Hartford Courant.
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Her body was found the next day under a tree in the backyard. Time magazine reported that her pants and underwear were pulled down to her ankles and fragments of an iron golf club surrounded her body.
An autopsy revealed that Moxley had been assaulted and stabbed to death with an instrument. The golf club ended up at Skakel's house.
Michael Skakel, pictured, is suing the city of Greenwich, the Greenwich Police Department and lead investigator Frank Garr for omitting evidence to support his legal defense. (Spencer Pratt for Getty Images)
Initially, the older brother was the prime suspect in Moxley's murder. Kenneth Littleton, the Skakel family's live-in tutor, was next investigated, Vanity Fair reported.
According to the complaint obtained by Fox News Digital, evidence that was suppressed included composite sketches of witnesses who did not resemble Skakel and various psychological profiles of potential suspects, including Skakel's older brother. That's what it means.
Lie detector test results showing that Mr. Littleton and Mr. Thomas lied were also withheld from the defense during Mr. Skakel's trial, according to the complaint.
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Two hairs found near or on Moxley's body had African American and Asian characteristics, according to the complaint. Barton Tinsely and Adolf Hasbrouck, who themselves had such ethnic characteristics, were present on the night of the murder.
Witnesses allegedly told detectives that the two teens were obsessed with Moxley and had expressed to someone that they wanted to be “cavemen.” These interviews were also allegedly withheld by Mr. Skakel's defense team.
Michael Skakel was reconsidered as a suspect 16 years after Moxley's murder, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in 2000. (Getty Images)
According to TruTV, Michael Skakel changed his story several times during the investigation, but claimed he was masturbating through a window that night between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. .
The case remained unsolved for decades until Skakel was reconsidered as a suspect in 1991, according to Oxygen.com. A warrant for his arrest was issued in January 2000.
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Garr and police reporter Len Levitt later co-wrote a book about the case, published in 2004.
Skakel's lawsuit says that in his book, Conviction, Solving the Moxley Murder Case, he repeatedly praises Garr's “leadership in pursuit and security.” [Skakel’s] Conviction… Confirmed that Garr cooperated as a fact checker.
“While Garr was the lead investigator on the case, he had a financial interest in the sale of the book by co-authoring it with Len Levitt and receiving 50 percent of the profits from the movie based on the book.” says the complaint.
Martha Moxley's brother, Jon Moxley, is pictured alongside his mother, Dorsey Moxley, speaking to reporters outside the Stamford courthouse in 2013. Jon Moxley questioned Michael Skakel's claim of innocence in a 2019 interview. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
According to the complaint, Garr already had “serious resentment.” [Skakel] Mark Fuhrman, author of “The Greenwich Murders,” named Skakel as Moxley's killer in a 2000 publication.
“Gar was upset with Mark Fuhrman, who was touted as the guy who got involved and solved murders. [Skakel] In his book… when Garr believed he deserved recognition,” the lawsuit states.
Garr allegedly bribed other teens at the youth facility where Skakel was held after his arrest, promising them “a reward for testifying…” [Skakel] The complaint alleges that he persuaded another person, a heroin addict who is now deceased, to testify, even though he was “completely unreliable,” saying he “may have been unconscious on the night of the murder.” It is said that he did.
The suspect also allegedly threatened another potential witness, telling him that if he didn't testify, “his life would be difficult,” according to the complaint.
martha moxley (Eric Freeland/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Plaintiff has suffered, sustained injuries and losses as a direct and proximate result of the unjust and malicious prosecution of Plaintiff,” the complaint said.
Fox News Digital could not reach Garr or Martha Moxley's brother Jon Moxley for comment on Skakel's lawsuit.
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Moxley's murder remains unsolved. In a 2019 interview, her brother said he still believes Skakel was her killer.
“Just because he's on the street doesn't mean what we know isn't true,” Jon Moxley said in the three-part documentary “Murder and Justice:” about his sister's life and death. The Case of Martha Moxley”.
“What we have now is that it's all about the judge and the technology. It's not about who killed Martha. At this point, nothing changes for me even if he's gone. And He's going to spend the rest of his life in prison regardless of where he is walking down the street. He will spend the rest of his days in his own prison. ”
