The Mystery Behind Criminal Minds : Murder in Greenwich

Happy True Crime Thursday!

This weeks case is that of a young woman who was murdered, found close to home and was possibibly killed by the hands of a Kennedy family member?

On the night of October 30, 1975, 15 year old Martha Moxley went out for a night of pulling pranks with friends on what’s known as mischief night in Greenwich, Connecticut. She didn't make it back inside her home that evening. She was found early the next afternoon, her body was discovered in her own backyard.

She had been stabbed and bludgeoned to death, her jeans and underwear were pulled down around her knees. Even with the way she was found there was no evidence of sexual assault. The murder weapon was a golf club, the head of the club was found just 50 feet away from the portion of her drive way where they believe she was approached. It’s believed that a portion of the shaft of the golf club was used as a weapon later to stab her. Her estimated time of death was between 9:45-10:00pm.

The broken club led investigators to a prominent local family, the Skakel family. They lived across the street from the Moxleys. They discovered that Michael Skakel (15) and Thomas Skakel (17) both had been with Martha that night. Michael told police that at 9:30 he went with his other brothers, John and Rush Jr. to give their cousin a ride home. Thomas told them that he went inside his home at 9:30 to work on a report for school after briefly flirting with Martha. He saw her walk towards her house, 150 yards away from his own. Was one of them lying to police? Oh and the Skakel boys were the nephews of someone we all know as Robert F. Kennedy.

Michael and Thomas Skakel

There was one other person that was on the radar of police. 24 year Kenneth Littleton, he was a live-in tutor for the Skakel children who had been hired just a short time before the murder. He told police that he heard noises outside the house sometime between 9:30-10:00pm. Before he went outside he stated that he went to check on the 7 Skakel children, according to him the 4 oldest boys (John, Rush Jr., Thomas and Michael) were not at home. He said he didn’t see Thomas until 10:25 when he came in and joined him to watch a tv show, the other boys came home within half an hour.

I should also mention that Martha had a boyfriend, Peter Ziluca. He had last seen Martha earlier in the day on the 30th, the 2 of them discussed their Halloween plans. While home that night his mom asked if he would like to borrow the car to see Martha, he had smoked pot earlier and didn’t have a license so he thought better to stay at home. He was cleared by police after given a polygraph. Several others were given polygraphs as well.

Kenneth Littleton, the tutor had been dismissed by the Skakels after 6 months. According to police he did fail his polygraph when questioned about the murder. There wasn’t any evidence to make an arrest and as you guys know a polygraph cannot be used in court. The more they spoke with other staff and family members they pretty much were able to say that he had been accounted for the whole evening.

Thomas Skakel was given 2 polygraphs, the 1st was inconclusive and the 2nd he passed. Then all of a sudden months after being cooperative with authorities the Skakel family refused to answer anymore questions.

Without anything further to go on Martha’s case went quiet for years. 16 years to be exact.

William Kennedy Smith was arrested in 1991 on sexual assault charges. What does this have to do with Martha you might ask? There was a claim that William might have been at the Skakel house the night of her murder. The tip was unfounded and he was acquitted of his charges. This claim was originally told to journalist Dominick Dunne, even though it was a false claims his interest in Martha’s case peaked. The police also made the decision to reopen her case.

In 91’ they brought in Dr. Henry Lee, a forensic pathologist, hoping he would be able to bring something new to the case using the technology that wasn’t available in 1975. Among the items examined were clothes that were found discarded after Martha’s murder in the Skakel’s garbage. He was able to find some hairs and fibers. Some of the hair microscopically was similar to Martha’s while others were not. He determined that the hair belonged to a Caucasian male. Road block was that he didn’t have a hair sample from any suspects for a match. Dr. Lee also studied the crime scene photos “The blood smear on her body indicates somebody tried to use force. It suggests a sexually motivated homicide."

No matter what the Skakel boys (now men) were always the ones to come back to. In November of 1995 Leonard Levitt reported in Newsday that Thomas and Michael had made some startling admissions to police. “Both Thomas and Michael told the investigators that they had lied to the police about their accounts the night of the murder. Thomas said to them that after 9:30 he went inside his house then came out and spent another 20 minutes with Martha. Claiming that he and Martha engaged in a sexual act.” Meaning he would have left her around 9:50ish. Remember her estimated time of death is between 9:45-10:00pm.

For Michael he said after he got home he went straight to bed, but that was not all he did that night. Around midnight, Michael said he was drunk and wanted to see Martha. He went out, climbed a tree outside Martha's window, threw stones at the window and then masturbated in a tree. While climbing down, he said he heard voices right around where the crime scene took place, and ran home. Even though this places him at the scene of the crime, it doesn’t place him there at the time she was murdered. For that time frame is alibi is pretty air tight.

So if you’re like me in reading about this case you’re probably thinking man this Thomas guy is the one.

Well new information came forth implicating someone for the murder of Martha, this someone was Michael Skakel. 4 years after her murder Michael was sent to the Elan School for troubled teens in Maine. Several of his classmates had heard him confess to the killing. Based on the new information a 42 year old Michael was charged with murder. Prosecutors argued that the motive was sibling rivalry over Martha’s affections. Also even though it wasn’t able to be used in court here are some writings from Martha’s diary a month before her murder.

In a passage from September 12, 1975, “Dear Diary, Today was nothing extra special at school. Peter was being his usual self ... Me, Jackie, Michael, Tom, Hope, Maureen & Andra went driving in Tom's car. I drove a little then & I was practically sitting on Tom's lap 'cause I was only steering. He kept putting his hand on my knee ... I drove some more & Margie & I kept yelling out the sunroof & then we went to Friendly's & Michael treated me & he got me a double but I only wanted a single so I threw the top scoop out the window. The I was driving again & Tom put his arm around me. He kept doing stuff like that. Jesus if Peter ever found out I would be dead! I think Jackie really likes Michael & I think maybe he likes her (maybe because he was drunk, but I don't know).”

On September 15, 1975, Moxley recalled hanging out in an RV on the Skakel property with Jackie and Michael. She wrote that Michael told her he “doesn’t like Jackie but he leads her on so much I can’t believe it!”

A few days later, Moxley journaled about a confrontation she had with Michael about her interactions with Tommy:

“Michael was so totally out of it that he was being a real asshole in his actions & words. He kept telling me that I was leading Tom on when I don't like him (except as a friend). I said, well how about you and Jackie? You keep telling me that you don't like her & you're all over her. He doesn't understand that he can be nice to her without hanging all over her. Michael jumps to conclusions. I can't be friends w/ Tom, just because I talk to him, it doesn't mean I like him. I really have to stop going over there."

Michael Skakel was convicted and sentenced 20 years to life. The family appealed the conviction and in May 2018 the conviction was overturned. He maintains his innocence to this day.