Martha Moxley was just fifteen when she was brutally murdered on Halloween Eve, 1975, in the wealthy Belle Haven neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut.
Martha Moxley
Martha Elizabeth Moxley
- Full Name: Martha Elizabeth Moxley
- Born: August 16, 1960 – San Francisco, California
- Died: October 30, 1975 (age 15) – Greenwich, Connecticut
- Residence: Belle Haven neighborhood, Greenwich, Connecticut
- Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma; beaten and stabbed with a golf club
- Discovered: Halloween morning, October 31, 1975, beneath a pine tree in her yard
- Case Resolution: Michael Skakel convicted in 2002, overturned on appeal, conviction vacated in 2018; no retrial pursued
- Legacy: Her case remains one of America’s most haunting unsolved murders tied to wealth, privilege, and scandal
The Halloween Eve Murder on the Kennedy Side of Town
The Story
HALLOWEEN EVE 1975
In 1975, in Greenwich, Connecticut, the night before Halloween started out like any other Halloween eve for 15-year-old Martha Moxley.
Like the past few years before, Martha and a few friends headed out for a night of ornery pranks, like spraying shaving cream and throwing eggs and toilet paper around the neighborhood, then stopping off at the home of their friends, the Skakel brothers.
WHO WERE TOMMY AND MICHAEL SKAKEL
Like Martha Moxley, brothers Tommy and Michael Skakel, who were both teens at the time, lived in the gated community of Belle Haven. It is an affluent area of Greenwich, Connecticut where some Hollywood’s elite live and where former President Bush grew up.
The teenage brothers were well known in the neighborhood. They were known for their disrespectful behaviors and lack of discipline. But, and probably foremost, was the fact that they were the nephews of Ethel Skakel-Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator, Robert F. Kennedy.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARTHA MOXLEY?
As planned, Martha Moxley and a few friends ended up at the Skakel residence. After hanging out for a few hours, Martha headed for her own home, just 150 yards across the way.
But she never made it there.
The next morning, Martha’s body was found under a tree in her own backyard. She was beaten and stabbed with a 6-iron golf club, so powerfully that the shaft had shattered.
She had been impaled in the neck with a shard from the shattered golf club. Her slacks and panties had been removed, but no signs of sexual assault were evident.
Tommy and Michael Skakel were immediate persons of interest, as they had been the last to see Martha Moxley alive. They became ‘suspects’ after it was discovered that the murder weapon had been traced back to a set of golf clubs owned by Anne Skakel-Kennedy, who had died two years earlier.
It was then determined that Tommy, the eldest of the two brothers, was actually the last person to see, and speak, with Martha Moxley.
THE SEARCH FOR THE KILLER
The day Martha’s body was found, a ‘cursory’ search of the Skakel home took place. No further search warrant was ever obtained. Beyond that, the Skakel’s refused to cooperate with police.
Other suspects were considered, including a young male neighbor, a 24 year old tutor, that actually lived with the Skakel’s, and a bum who lived off of a nearby highway. But those avenues all dead ended and eyes turned back to the cousins of the Kennedy’s.
Finally, in 1998, a grand jury investigation took place. Over 50 witnesses were interviewed. A warrant was issued for Michael’s arrest and it was reported that he confessed to murdering Martha that evening in a fit of jealousy.
He was found guilty in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Martha Moxley | Halloween Eve Murder
LIFE AFTER PRISON
In 2013, Michael Skakel was granted a new trial by Connecticut Judge, Thomas A. Bishop.
The reason?
It was suddenly ruled that the kin of the Kennedy’s had gotten a bad deal. The judge ruled that Michael’s attorney had ‘failed to adequately represent’ the client, Michael Skakel, in 2002.
The judge stated that Michael’s attorney had ‘failed to locate a witness who backed up Skakel’s alibi that he was at his cousin’s house the night of Martha Moxley’s murder and failed to find a man who challenged a star witness’s claim that Michael actually confessed to anything.
On November 21, 2013, Michael Skakel (53) was released on bond for $1.2 million. As conditions of that bail, he must be monitored constantly with a GPS device. He cannot have contact with any member of the Moxley’s family. He must periodically check in over the phone and, under no circumstances, is he allowed to leave the state of Connecticut, unless granted permission by the courts.
🧰 Michael Skakel: Legal & Case Outcome Stats
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Charged | February 8, 2000, for the murder of Martha Moxley, under CT General Statutes § 53a-54a (Rev. to 1975). CT.gov |
| Verdict | Convicted on June 7, 2002, in Stamford–Norwalk Judicial District. Supreme Court+1 |
| Sentence | Sentenced August 29, 2002: 20 years to life in prison. Supreme Court+1 |
| Time Served Before Release | More than 11 years behind bars before release on appeal. CBS News+1 |
| Appeals & Reversals | – 2013: Conviction overturned due to ineffective assistance of counsel. CBS News – December 30, 2016: CT Supreme Court reinstated conviction. CBS News+1 – May 4, 2018: Conviction vacated again by CT Supreme Court. CBS News |
| Retrial Status | In October 2020, the State of Connecticut announced it would not retry Michael Skakel. CBS News+1 |
| Murder Details | Victim Martha Moxley, aged 15; found October 31, 1975; battered with golf club pieces traced to Skakel family; cause: blunt trauma, homicide. Wikipedia+1 |
credit – daily mail | murderpedia | wikipedia
Martha Moxley | Halloween Eve Murder
📚 Additional Resources
- “Martha Moxley murder: Case timeline” — CBS News
- Offers a detailed chronology of events in the case, helpful for fact-checking and establishing the timeline from disappearance to legal outcomes. CBS News
- “Murder and Justice: The Case of Martha Moxley” — Oxygen / hosted by Laura Coates
- A documentary series with interviews and re-examination of the evidence, including new theories and perspectives. Oxygen
- “Martha Moxley — case collection” — The Marshall Project
- A curated set of authoritative articles and investigative journalism that cover many facets of the case (legal, procedural, and historical). The Marshall Project
📚 Further Reading / Watching
- Book: A Wealth of Evil: The True Story of the Murder of Martha Moxley in America’s Richest Community by Timothy Dumas
- Deep dive into the context, community, and breadth of the case; helps understand what reopened the case and the social atmosphere. Google Books
- Book: Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley? by Mark Fuhrman
- A piece by a former detective, analyzing evidence, interviewing witnesses, and forming a theory of how the murder may have happened. Amazon
- Documentary / TV: Murder and Justice: The Case of Martha Moxley
- The full documentary series by Laura Coates (2019) that revisits the case with fresh eyes, including often overlooked clues and new interviews. Apple TV+1
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This page is part of the WickedWe True Crime Archive – a resource for researchers, students, and true crime enthusiasts seeking verified facts, case records, and deeper historical context.
- Verified Data & Case-Document Sources
- Skakel v. State, Connecticut Supreme Court decision — April 20, 2010
The court file (PDF) gives detailed legal history of Michael Skakel’s motions, appeals, and the reasoning around trial issues, ineffective assistance, etc. Connecticut Judicial Branch - Probable Cause Hearing Transcript (Superior Court, Connecticut)
Includes witness testimonies (e.g. Sheila McGuire) about where Martha was seen last, potential routes she walked home, neighbors’ statements. Helps establish what was known before the trial. Scribd - CBS News — Martha Moxley Murder: Case Timeline
Gives the detailed timeline: murder date, arrest date, conviction, appeals, overturning, and status of retrial. Good summary for archival entries. CBS News
