What is the episode about?
Martha Moxley was found beaten to death with a golf club just a few steps from her home in the affluent Belle Haven neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut, on October 30, 1975. In the premiere episode of the podcast Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder , titled Mischief Night, journalist Andrew Goldman dives into the initial hours of the investigation and the social dynamics of the closed community. The episode marks a historic event in true crime, as Michael Skakel, the grandson of the Kennedy family and previously convicted of the murder, speaks publicly about the case for the first time. Goldman has spent over a decade researching the case, providing the listener with unique insights into the events that led to one of the most publicized trials in the U.S.
The case behind the episode
The murder of Martha Moxley remained unsolved for 27 years before police turned their attention to the neighbor Michael Skakel . Skakel was found guilty of the murder in 2002, which took place on the so-called 'Mischief Night' — the night before Halloween. The trial attracted massive media attention due to his familial connections to the Kennedy dynasty. After serving more than 11 years in prison, his conviction was overturned in 2018 when a judge determined that his original defense had not provided adequate assistance. The case today remains formally unsolved, leaving the Moxley family and the public in a state of unresolved justice. The episode revisits the forensic evidence, including the broken golf club that belonged to the Skakel family, and the witness testimonies that have divided opinions in Greenwich for decades.
About the podcast
The podcast is produced by NBC News Studios and consists of 12 episodes released weekly until January 2026. Host Andrew Goldman was originally hired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to assist with a book about the case but subsequently chose to continue his own independent investigation. The series combines archival footage with new interviews and challenges the existing theories about what exactly happened that fateful night in 1975. The production coincides with the 50th anniversary of the crime and seeks to bring new facts to light in a case that has been marked by rumors, privilege, and legal battles.