# Skakel denied parole today- anybody else question his guilt? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782 "2012-10-25T01:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/1 "2012-10-25T01:11:02Z")
in 2002, Michael Skakel was convicted of killing Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975. 20 year to life sentence. Today he was denied parole after proclaiming his innocence in front of the parole board. Given what I’ve read about the case, it seems like a very, very shaky conviction and that it was quite possible that Ken Littleton, a 23 year-old tutor for the Skakels was the actual killer. RFK’s 2003 piece in [The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/01/a-miscarriage-of-justice/304759/) is very compelling and worth the read if you don’t know anything about this case. It strikes me that the public was easily convinced that Skakel was guilty b/c he was a Kennedy cousin (not blood) and that the authorities wanted a conviction and scapegoated Skakel. Anyone else familiar with this case? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/2 "2012-10-25T03:41:46Z")
Familiar and I think he’s guilty as hell. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/3 "2012-10-25T03:54:29Z")
RFKJr. was defending his cousin. The evidence was convincing, but not ironclad. I think they have the right guy, but it’s always problematic to convict someone with circumstantial evidence so long after a crime was committed. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/4 "2012-10-25T04:11:26Z")
I think he’s guilty. His “I didn’t do it but coincidentally I just happened to be masturbating in that same tree” was one of the most bizarre things. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/5 "2012-10-25T04:55:03Z")
No. He boasted about the killing to his friends, later. Yep, everybody climbs into trees and masturbates. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/6 "2012-10-25T11:54:13Z")
> [@ecoaster](#): > > RFK’s 2003 piece in [The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/01/a-miscarriage-of-justice/304759/) is very compelling and worth the read if you don’t know anything about this case. RFK Jr.'s dedication to the truth took quite a large hit after his thimerosal/autism article got retracted. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/7 "2012-10-25T12:36:24Z")
I am not expert on the case but I have no problem with the conviction from all that I have heard and remember. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/8 "2012-10-25T13:40:28Z")
From what I understand with the case, I’m in agreement with the above responses. And RFK Jr. lost me at the first line when he said, “I know Michael Skakel.” That is the common mantra in any crime. Some family member says, “I know my \*[son, daughter, sister, cousin, etc.], and I know he/she would never do anything like that.” Families take up for their own. That’s just the way it is. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/9 "2012-10-25T13:46:38Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > No. He boasted about the killing to his friends, later. Yep, everybody climbs into trees and masturbates. This, and so many other little bits of confirmable information (often confirmed by Skakel himself) are strong circumstantial evidence that not only point at Skakel, but exclude others. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/10 "2012-10-25T13:48:47Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > From what I understand with the case, I’m in agreement with the above responses. And RFK Jr. lost me at the first line when he said, “I know Michael Skakel.” That is the common mantra in any crime. Some family member says, “I know my \*[son, daughter, sister, cousin, etc.], and I know he/she would never do anything like that.” Families take up for their own. That’s just the way it is. "A letter (to the parole board) from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls Skakel “kind, forgiving, and guided by God in all his actions and transactions. He is as incapable of violence or injuring another human being as any person I’ve ever met.” > **[Kennedy relative Michael Skakel denied parole | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/24/justice/connecticut-michael-skakel-parole/index.html)** > > The nephew of Robert and Ethel Kennedy has been denied parole after serving 10 years in prison for bludgeoning Martha Moxley to death with a golf club in 1975. Skakel is Jesus come down from the cross. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/11 "2012-10-25T13:51:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > “He is as incapable of violence or injuring another human being as any person I’ve ever met.” That’s completely true. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/12 "2012-10-25T13:51:50Z")
Is this the case that Mark Fuhrman wrote a book about? (yes, \*that \*Mark Furhman.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/13 "2012-10-25T13:59:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > He is as incapable of violence or injuring another human being as any person I’ve ever met. Since all humans are capable of violence that is not a very good endorsement. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Is this the case that Mark Fuhrman wrote a book about? (yes, \*that \*Mark Furhman.) Murder in Greenwich The book was a big reason why the case came back around and was able to go to trial. I did not read that book but Fuhrman is a pretty good author. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/14 "2012-10-25T20:38:34Z")
I thought well of Fuhrman when I read Murder in Brentwood and Murder in Greenwih, and felt that Moxley’s murderer had been brought to justic. Then I read his take on the Terri Schiavo case “Silent Witness.” He all but states that Michael Schiavo was an abusive husband who caused Terri’s injuries by strangling her. I’ve never done a 180 degree turn on my opinion of anyone so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/15 "2012-10-26T00:28:15Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > RFK Jr.'s dedication to the truth took quite a large hit after his thimerosal/autism article got retracted. Exactly what I came in here to say. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/16 "2012-10-26T05:12:10Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > No. He boasted about the killing to his friends, later. Yep, everybody climbs into trees and masturbates. I can honestly say I’ve never boasted about killing anyone. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/17 "2012-10-26T18:12:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I can honestly say I’ve never boasted about killing anyone. Huh? Also, the masturbating in the tree thing seems to be an overly salacious element that simply proves he was nearby (so were Tom Skakel and Ken Littleton, BTW). Others have said M. Skakel’s small size at the time would have made if very unlikely he could have dragged the body across the lawn in the manner the way it was. Littleton was much larger and a much more likely suspect for a number of reasons… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/18 "2012-10-26T18:51:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Skakel is Jesus come down from the cross. :dubious: If only he hadn’t come down from the tree. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/19 "2012-10-29T20:30:06Z")
Virtually every murderer going has people in their family or friends telling us what a saint he is, and how he’s completely incapable of harming another human being. It would appear that all murders are committed by extraterrestials. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782/20 "2013-11-21T23:02:40Z")
Bumping this thread: “After spending more than a decade behind bars for the murder of a teenage girl in Greenwich, Conn., Michael C. Skakel, a cousin of the Kennedys, was ordered free from prison on Thursday to await a possible retrial…The bail hearing came after another judge ruled last month that Mr. Skakel did not receive a fair trial because his first lawyer, Mickey Sherman, had not represented him effectively, depriving him of his constitutionally guaranteed right to counsel…Throughout the trials and appeals, Mr. Skakel’s family has fought fiercely on his behalf, spending millions of dollars in various bids to win his freedom.” > **[After 11 Years in Prison, Skakel Goes Free on Bail (Published 2013)](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/nyregion/skakel-is-ordered-free-on-bail.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0)** > > Michael C. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy who was convicted of murdering a 15-year-old in Greenwich, Conn., in 1975, was ordered free on bail. Isn’t it amazing how even though they must have hired the best lawyer money could buy that the lawyer did not represent him effectively? One wonders about the poor slobs represented by public defenders… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skakel-denied-parole-today-anybody-else-question-his-guilt/638782.md?page=2)