In October 2020, Michael Skakel received another piece of good news when the Connecticut state's attorney announced they would not retry him, saying the state couldn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.Īnd so, 46 years after her murder, Martha Moxley's case once again goes cold and her childhood friends have little hope that her killer will one day be brought to justice, unless somebody out there decides to reveal a secret they may have been keeping for all these years.Exactly when National Cousins Day made its way onto our modern-day calendar is a mystery. On October 30, 2020, 45 years after Martha Moxley's murder, the State of Connecticut announced Michael Skakel would not be retried. 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. That decision was ultimately upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court. "Mickey Sherman … never talked to that witness," said Kennedy. Kennedy insisted his cousin didn't have fair representation at his murder trial, because his attorney Mickey Sherman failed to call a critical witness who would have confirmed Michael's alibi that he was miles away at his cousin Jimmy Terrien's house at the time investigators believed Martha was murdered. "I know Michael Skakel and I know he didn't commit this crime," Kennedy told "48 Hours." I really have to stop going over there."Īfter 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.Īfter Michael Skakel was sent off to prison in August 2002, his cousin Robert Kennedy Jr. The month before her murder, Martha wrote "Michael was so out of it, he was being a real ass- … He kept telling me that I was leading Tom on … Michael jumps to conclusions. The month before her death, Martha wrote, "Michael was so totally out of it that he was being a real ass-…I really have to stop going over there."ĭuring trial, the state presented Martha's diary as evidence of the rivalry between the two brothers. Martha Moxley recorded in her diary that she was particularly concerned with Michael's behavior. 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.
Go stream cousin cousine 1975 trial#
Michael Skakel was 41 years old when his trial began in June 2002. So, when Tommy's brother Michael Skakel was arrested for Martha's murder in 2000 after reports circulated that he had allegedly confessed to the killing, the story grabbed headlines worldwide. At the dance, he kept putting his arms around me and making moves."Īlthough Tommy Skakel became a suspect as the last person known to have seen Martha alive, he had an alibi and Greenwich Police Department didn't have enough evidence to arrest him. On October 4, 1975, a little over three weeks before her murder, Martha wrote: "I went to a party … Tom S. Martha's friends told police Tommy wanted to date her, but his advances might not have always been welcomed. Diary may offer insight into 1975 murder 03:34