MARTHA MOXLEY
Martha Elizabeth Moxley (August 16, 1960 - October 30, 1975) was a fifteen-year-old
murder victim in a case that attracted worldwide publicity.
Born in San Francisco, California, Moxley and her family moved to Belle Haven,
an exclusive section of Greenwich, Connecticut, in the summer of 1974.
Just 15 months later, on the evening of October 30, 1975, Moxley left with
friends to attend a Halloween party at the Skakel home, one block away. She
reportedly had crushes on both Michael and Thomas Skakel (nephews of Ethel
Skakel Kennedy), and both boys often fought over the girl. According to friends,
Moxley began flirting with and eventually kissing Thomas Skakel. Moxley was last
seen "falling together behind the fence" near the pool in the Skakel backyard at
around 9:30 p.m.
The next day, Moxley's body was found underneath a tree in her family's backyard.
Her pants and underwear were pulled down, but she had not been sexually
assaulted. Pieces of a broken six-iron golf club were found near the body. An
autopsy indicated she had been both bludgeoned and stabbed with the club, which
was traced back to the Skakel home. Thomas Skakel was the last person to be seen
with Moxley the night of the murder, and had a weak alibi. Thomas Skakel became
the prime suspect, but his father forbade access to his school and mental health
records, and the case languished for decades. In the meantime, several books
were published about the crime, including Timothy Dumas's A Wealth of Evil, and
a novel, A Season In Purgatory, by Dominick Dunne, based on the Moxley case.
Martha Moxley was interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Martha Elizabeth Moxley (August 16, 1960 - October 30, 1975) was a fifteen-year-old
murder victim in a case that attracted worldwide publicity.
Born in San Francisco, California, Moxley and her family moved to Belle Haven,
an exclusive section of Greenwich, Connecticut, in the summer of 1974.
Just 15 months later, on the evening of October 30, 1975, Moxley left with
friends to attend a Halloween party at the Skakel home, one block away. She
reportedly had crushes on both Michael and Thomas Skakel (nephews of Ethel
Skakel Kennedy), and both boys often fought over the girl. According to friends,
Moxley began flirting with and eventually kissing Thomas Skakel. Moxley was last
seen "falling together behind the fence" near the pool in the Skakel backyard at
around 9:30 p.m.
The next day, Moxley's body was found underneath a tree in her family's backyard.
Her pants and underwear were pulled down, but she had not been sexually
assaulted. Pieces of a broken six-iron golf club were found near the body. An
autopsy indicated she had been both bludgeoned and stabbed with the club, which
was traced back to the Skakel home. Thomas Skakel was the last person to be seen
with Moxley the night of the murder, and had a weak alibi. Thomas Skakel became
the prime suspect, but his father forbade access to his school and mental health
records, and the case languished for decades. In the meantime, several books
were published about the crime, including Timothy Dumas's A Wealth of Evil, and
a novel, A Season In Purgatory, by Dominick Dunne, based on the Moxley case.
Martha Moxley was interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut.