Mugshots (2003) — The Martha Moxley Murder Case
The 2003 documentary series Mugshots investigates the notorious murder of Martha Moxley and the subsequent conviction of Michael Skakel.
On October 30, 1975, 15-year-old Martha Moxley was found murdered in the affluent Greenwich, Connecticut neighborhood where she lived. She had been beaten to death with a golf club belonging to the Skakel family, neighbors of the victim. The case remained unsolved for decades, in part because the Skakel family was connected to the Kennedy clan through Ethel Skakel Kennedy.
Michael Skakel, who was 15 at the time of the murder, was not arrested until 2000 — a full 25 years after the crime. He was convicted of the murder in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years to life.
The 2003 documentary series was produced shortly after the conviction and offers insight into the lengthy investigation and the complex trial. The series highlights the challenges investigators faced, including the family's influence and the many years that had passed since the crime.
Skakel's conviction was later overturned in 2013, reinstated in 2016, and finally dropped by prosecutors in 2020. The murder of Martha Moxley remains, technically, unsolved to this day.
