Kennedy cousin Skakel will not be retried in 1975 killing

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — A prosecutor said Friday that Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel will not face a second trial in the 1975 killing of Martha Moxley, an announcement that came 45 years to the day after the teenager was bludgeoned to death in her wealthy Connecticut neighborhood.

The decision ended a rollercoaster drama that included claims others could be the killer, alleged confessions by Skakel, several books based on the case and conflicting rulings by the Connecticut Supreme Court, which first upheld Skakel's murder conviction but later overturned it. Skakel, 15 at the time of Moxley's death and now 60, served more than 11 years in prison before being freed in 2013.

Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said at a brief hearing at Stamford Superior Court that there just wasn't enough evidence for a retrial. He said he reinvestigated the case and identified more than 50 potential witnesses, but 17 of them were dead.

“The state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Colangelo told Judge Gary White.

Skakel, a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy, did not speak during the hearing or outside the court. He wore a black sweater over a white collared shirt, black pants and a black mask, due to required coronavirus precautions. Several of his supporters were in the courtroom, as was Moxley's brother, John.

Skakel's lawyer, Stephan Seeger, called it a “day for justice.”

“Michael Skakel is innocent of this crime," Seeger told reporters. "He can move forward with his life. He's been through a lot. He spent 11 1/2 years of his life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.”

John Moxley said Friday that he still believes Skakel killed his sister but he and their mother, Dorthy, now 88, are at peace with the decision not to seek a...