Martha Moxley was a popular, pretty, wealthy fifteen-year-old high school sophomore, whose family lived in the exclusive community of Belle Haven in Greenwich, Connecticut. On the night of October 30, 1975, Martha and some neighborhood friends, including Michael and Tommy Skakel, nephews of Ethel Kennedy, sat in a van parked in the Skakel driveway listening to music. Around 9:30 P.M., most of the kids went home, leaving Tommy and Martha alone in the van. At 3:45 A.M., Martha's mother called the police to say that her daughter had not come home. Later that morning, Martha's body was found on the Moxley property that diagonally adjoins the Skakel home. The girl had been beaten to death with a Tonna Penna golf club -- and the only family owning such a set of clubs in the area were the Skakels. Tommy, the last person seen with Martha, became a prime suspect. However, Tommy Skakel was never prosecuted, and the author raises interesting questions about the Skakel family and the ensuing investigation.
Shocking, fascinating, and expertly researched, Murder in Greenwich is not only a reexamination of a famous murder, but also a step toward solving the crime. As an experienced homicide detective, Mark Fuhrman takes a hard look at both the evidence and the investigation itself, and attacks the criminal justice system and the wealth and power of a prominent family.
