What is the episode about?
Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder focuses in the fourth episode, 'The Trial', on the legal proceedings against Michael Skakel, who was held accountable in 2002 for the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley. The murder took place on October 30, 1975, in the exclusive neighborhood of Belle Haven in Greenwich, Connecticut. After 27 years of investigation without resolution, Michael Skakel, who is related to the Kennedy clan, was arrested. This episode scrutinizes the dynamics of the trial, where the prosecution faced a significant challenge: There was no physical or forensic evidence directly linking Michael Skakel to the crime scene or the murder weapon, which was a golf club from the Skakel family's own set.
The case behind the episode
The case of Martha Moxley is one of the most talked-about criminal cases in American history due to its connection to the powerful Kennedy family. Martha Moxley was found beaten to death with a golf club under a tree in her backyard after attending a 'Mischief Night' party at the home of her neighbors, the Skakel family. Early suspicion fell on both Michael Skakel and his brother, Tommy Skakel, but the investigation stalled for decades. When the case was reopened in the late 1990s, the prosecution based their case on testimonies from individuals who claimed that Michael Skakel had confessed to the murder while he was institutionalized for troubled youth in Maine. The episode highlights how these testimonies became crucial to the verdict, despite their controversial nature.
About the podcast
Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder is produced by NBC News Studios and revisits the case with fresh eyes. The series includes interviews with key figures such as Bobby Kennedy Jr., who has tirelessly fought for his cousin's innocence, as well as Amanda Knox, who provides perspectives on wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice. The podcast challenges the listener to consider whether justice was served or if the pressure from the public and media led to a verdict based on circumstantial evidence rather than facts.