The Martha Moxley Murder Case

The Murder of Martha Moxley

Martha Moxley was a 15-year-old American high school student who was murdered in her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut on October 30, 1975. She was found dead in her family's backyard the following day, beaten down by blows from a golf club that was left at the crime scene.

The murder became one of the United States' most discussed cold cases and would remain unsolved for 27 years before a conviction was handed down.

Martha was the daughter of millionaire Dorthy Moxley and came from a wealthy family in the exclusive Greenwich area. On the evening of her death, she had attended a Halloween party in the neighborhood and was last seen around 10 p.m. when she was together with friends from the surrounding area.

The Cold Trail

Police quickly suspected members of the Skakel family, who were neighbors of the Moxley family. Michael Skakel, son of the wealthy Kennedy clan member Thomas Skakel, was seen in the area around the crime scene. However, investigators lacked evidence for charges, and the case stalled.

The following years were thoroughly investigated by police. Martha had been struck approximately 25-30 times with a so-called "6-iron" golf club, which was found broken nearby. Another theory pointed to her former boyfriend, Tommy Cole, but he was also later ruled out as a suspect.

The reason the case was not solved earlier was the lack of direct physical evidence and the fact that the area was well-known to police. Multiple people could have had access to the area, and witness statements were unreliable after so many years.