By Meghan Muldoon

WESTPORT–For 50 years, the unsolved murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley in the wealthy enclave of Greenwich has been one of Connecticut’s most enduring true-crime mysteries.

In his 12-part podcast, “Dead Certain,” veteran journalist and Westport resident Andrew Goldman  revisits the case with fresh eyes and newly available police reports and court documents.

On June 24, Goldman will take audiences beyond his popular podcast at a live event at the Westport Library, offering never-before-heard interviews, newly uncovered information and expert analysis from former FBI profilers. 

The live immersive event is intended as a public airing of the full record and a reexamination not only of what happened the night Moxley was killed but also how media narratives and investigative missteps shaped public understanding of the case.

For those who thought they knew the case, Goldman promises there is still much more to uncover.

“I think people will be surprised by what they hear at the show,” Goldman said. 

On the night of October 30, 1975, Moxley was bludgeoned to death with a golf club outside her family home in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Greenwich. The case, and its proximity to wealth, privilege and the Kennedy name, attracted national attention but remained cold for 27 years.  

Then in 2002, Michael Skakel, Moxley’s neighbor and Kennedy relative, was convicted of the murder following a trial in Stamford. Skakel was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.  

After serving 11 years in prison, Skakel won a habeas corpus claim for ineffective counsel and was released in 2013. The state has declined to retry him. Skakel is now suing the town of Greenwich and its lead investigator, Frank Garr, for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations.

Goldman says the aim of his podcast and live event is simple: to unsettle certainty about Skakel’s role in the death of Moxley. 

“People are dead certain that he’s guilty,” says Goldman. “I felt like Michael was innocent.  I felt like I had been, I guess, sold a bill of goods on his guilt.”

For the podcast, Goldman dug into court files, police reports and grand jury testimony that only became public after Skakel’s successful habeas appeal. These records changed his view of the case’s evidentiary foundation.  Goldman argues that the case against Skakel was far thinner than many people believe. 

“When I actually went through the case file, I found that it all just sort of crumbled,” Goldman said.

The immersive event at the Westport Library will also feature several key figures from the podcast, including Jim Murphy of Sutton Associates, whose firm’s reinvestigation of the case unwittingly spurred police action, and Jessica Walker, one of Skakel’s lawyers in his successful habeas corpus appeal. Goldman said attendees can also expect “other special surprise guests” to join the discussion.

Among the evening’s highlights will be audio from a roundtable Goldman convened with four veteran FBI profilers who reviewed the case in its entirety and independently assessed the most likely suspects. 

Goldman also plans to revisit the outsized role that former LA detective Mark Fuhrman and journalist Dominick Dunne played in shaping the Moxley narrative. According to Goldman, Fuhrman’s book, Murder in Greenwich, and Dunne’s reporting for Vanity Fair helped steer suspicion to Michael Skakel and reignited pressure on investigators. 

During the event, Goldman will play excerpts from his interview with Fuhrman and examine how the reporting of both Fuhrman and Dunne stands up against the evidence that has since emerged.

“I think Mark Fuhrman’s book was shoddy in a million ways,” he said. 

Goldman is encouraging attendees to listen to Dead Certain before the event and come prepared with questions. He also plans to share new listener leads and interviews that have surfaced since the podcast’s release, offering fresh material even for those who have already completed the series.

For devoted true-crime followers and local residents alike, the event promises a rare opportunity to revisit one of Connecticut’s most notorious cold cases.

Tickets for the June 24 live event at the Westport Library are free.

Meghan Muldoon

^{_{Meghan Muldoon is a freelance journalist based in Darien, Connecticut. As a television and print journalist, Muldoon has covered state government and politics in Virginia and Connecticut.}} 

Westport Country Playhouse

25 Powers Court, Westport, Connecticut 06880

www.westportplayhouse.org

^{_{The Westport Country Playhouse is a non-profit that produces theater from playwrights, actors, directors, and designers of all backgrounds, while entertaining audiences and exploring human and societal issues along the way. Image Robert Benson.}}