Thomas Skakel, Michael’s older brother, has been extensively involved in Martha Moxley’s 1975 bludgeoning, one of America’s most notorious murders. In 2002, Kennedy cousin Michael was convicted of Moxley’s murder, but fresh evidence overturned his conviction in 2018. Thomas, a former suspect, has mostly stayed out of the spotlight, but his position in the case is worth investigating.
Family History
Thomas Skakel was born into money and power. Rushton Skakel, his father, built the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation from a modest coal firm. Rushton’s fortune allowed the Skakels to reside in Belle Haven, Connecticut, in luxury. A huge family included five brothers and a sister for Thomas. Thomas’ connection to the crime brought him criticism, but his brother Michael would subsequently garner the most attention.
Some years before the Moxley murder, Thomas’ mother, Anne Reynolds Skakel, died in 1973. After her death, Thomas suffered emotionally and developed behavioural challenges. Thomas became entangled in Martha Moxley’s murder mystery around this period.
Rushton Skakel, Thomas’ Dad Walter Skakel
Rushton Walter Skakel, born in Connecticut on October 5, 1923, was a notable Skakel family member and father of Thomas. Rushton was the son of George Skakel, who founded the Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, one of the largest privately held U.S. enterprises. Ethel Kennedy, his sister, married Robert F. Kennedy, and his family was wealthy and important. Rushton’s economic skill and success cemented the Skakel family’s place in American society’s upper classes. Rushton was recognized for his personal troubles and big family, which included Thomas Skakel, in addition to his commercial career. His life was tragic, including the 1973 death of his wife, Anne Elizabeth Reynolds.
Rushton ran the family company and reared his children, including Thomas Skakel, in Greenwich, Connecticut, after his wife’s death. The 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, for which his son Michael Skakel was convicted, overshadowed his family life. Rushton was powerful in the family despite Michael’s sentence. He died in Hobe Sound, Florida, at 79 on January 2, 2003. His legacy is clouded by the legal and media attention his children, especially Michael, would receive in the decades after his death. Thomas Skakel, like his brother Michael, is connected to the family’s problematic past.
Dark Chapter: Moxley Case
Martha Moxley was killed in Greenwich, Connecticut, across from the Skakel family estate, on October 30, 1975. A golf club had killed Moxley, who was found dead in her family’s garden. Many suspects were first investigated, including Thomas Skakel, who was with Martha the night of the murder.
Investigators questioned 17-year-old Thomas as a suspect in the murder, but there was no proof. Media attention in Martha’s death increased as concerns about the Skakel family and their riches grew. Thomas originally denied involvement but was suspected.
Suspect Michael Skakel Rises
Michael Skakel was closely watched in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to fresh case developments. Michael was caught and accused with Martha Moxley’s murder after a protracted inquiry. His trial was a public spectacle because of his Kennedy family ties. Michael was convicted in 2002 based on a murderer’s confession and a plausible link between his alibi and Moxley’s murder.
Thomas Skakel was once a suspect, but his younger brother was now the focus. Michael’s conviction stood for nearly a decade until 2018, when the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed it due to his lawyer’s inability to offer an alibi. Michael was released and a murder charge dismissed in 2020. This sparked considerable interest in the case and the Skakel family, with many speculating if Thomas Skakel was more involved in the murder than previously thought.
Current Life of Thomas Skakel
Thomas Skakel has maintained a low profile while Michael’s court fights have made headlines. After his father’s death, Thomas left the family’s money and controversy. He now lives quietly in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, distant from his family’s controversies.
Thomas and his brother Michael are reportedly less close. With both brothers dealing with the media frenzy after Michael’s trial and release, their relationship may have suffered. Thomas hasn’t touched on Michael’s legal status in years, and his life appears quieter.
Kennedy Family connection
The Skakels’ riches and status were partially owing to their Kennedy family links, adding intrigue to the murder inquiry. Thomas’ uncle, George Skakel, married Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, and the trial and media coverage repeatedly highlighted the family’s Kennedy ties.
Thomas’ relatives Kerry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are Kennedys. While the Skakels were less famous than the Kennedys, the two families had a difficult history of money, privilege, and public scrutiny. Thomas believes his brother Michael’s high-profile murder case has kept the Skakel name in the spotlight.
Conclusion
Martha Moxley’s murder, with its court fights, shifting suspects, and Kennedy family ties, remains a sad episode in Connecticut’s privileged past. Thomas Skakel was not as actively involved as his younger brother Michael, yet the tragedy nonetheless shaped his life. He lives in anonymity, yet his name will always be tied to Martha Moxley’s unsolved murder. As further information about the case surface, Thomas Skakel’s participation, or lack thereof, may be debated for years.
