Michael Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, is suing a lead police investigator and his hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, over his arrest and conviction in the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, according to The Associated Press.
Skakel, 63, was convicted in 2002 of Moxley’s bludgeoning death and served 11 years in prison for the crime. He has filed suit against the case’s lead police investigator, Frank Garr, according to the Greenwich Time.
He is suing for alleged malicious prosecution and civil rights violations, according to court records obtained by CBS.
Skakel’s family lived next door to the Moxley family in Greenwich. Both he and Moxley were 15 at the time of her 1975 death.
In 2013, Skakel was freed on an appeal, with his lawyers claiming that he was not given a fair trial due to deficient legal counsel, according to Greenwich Time.
In 2018, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned Skakel’s conviction and in 2020, the murder charge was dropped, and a state prosecutor announced that the Kennedy cousin would not be put on trial again, according to People.
Michael Skakel, Kennedy cousin whose conviction in 1975 killing of Martha Moxley was overturned, files lawsuit: https://t.co/i9QNWF8l37
— 48 Hours (@48hours) January 3, 2024
The complaint from Skakel also claims that Gregory Coleman, the state’s primary witness who testified that he heard Skakel’s murder confession, was “mentally unstable and was a complete liar who could not be trusted,” the Greenwich Time reported.
Skakel is asking for unspecified compensation and punitive damages.
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