Framed: Why Michael Skakel Spent Over a Decade in Prison For a Murder He Didn't Commit Read online

  JIMMY SKAKEL, Rucky’s brother, Michael’s uncle

  PAT SKAKEL, George Skakel Jr.’s wife, Michael’s aunt

  THE KENNEDY COUSINS

  ETHEL SKAKEL KENNEDY, the author’s mother, Michael’s aunt

  ROBERT F. KENNEDY SR., the author’s father, Michael’s uncle

  ROBERT F. “BOBBY” KENNEDY JR., Michael’s cousin

  STEVE SMITH, husband of Jean Kennedy Smith, the author’s uncle

  THE SKAKELS’ FRIENDS

  FATHER MARK CONNOLLY, Skakel family friend, priest

  GINNY FITZGERALD, Anne Skakel’s friend

  DAN FITZPATRICK, Helen’s husband, attorney

  HELEN IX (FITZPATRICK), Martha’s friend and neighbor, Skakel neighbor

  BOB IX, Helen’s father

  CISSIE IX, Helen’s mother

  DENNIS OSSORIO, Georgeann Dowdle’s boyfriend

  ANDREA SHAKESPEARE (RENNA), Julie Skakel’s friend

  THE SKAKEL HOUSEHOLD HELP

  ETHEL JONES, Skakel cook

  MARGARET “NANNY” SWEENEY, Skakel housekeeper

  FRANZ “FRANK” WITTINE, Skakel gardener

  PAULA WITTINE, Frank’s wife, Skakel housekeeper

  LARRY ZICCARELLI, Skakel handyman, driver

  THE BELLE HAVENITES

  CYNTHIA AND BOB BJORK, Belle Haven residents, Moxley neighbors

  ART BYRNE, Geoff’s father

  DARYL BYRNE (FLEUREN), Geoff’s much older sister

  DORI BYRNE, Geoff’s mother

  GEOFFREY “GEOFF” BYRNE, Martha’s friend and neighbor

  GREG BYRNE, Geoff’s much older brother

  WARREN BYRNE, Geoff’s older brother

  PETER COOMARASWAMY, Belle Haven resident, Michael’s friend

  MARIA COOMARASWAMY, Peter’s younger sister

  ED HAMMOND, Belle Haven resident

  SHEILA MCGUIRE, Martha’s friend and neighbor, discovered Martha’s body

  JEAN WALKER, Margie and Neal’s mother

  MARGIE WALKER, Martha’s best friend and neighbor

  NEAL WALKER, Margie’s brother, friend of Geoff Byrne and Tony Bryant

  JACKIE WETENHALL, Martha’s friend and neighbor (Michael and Jackie shared a mutual crush)

  JANE WETENHALL, Belle Haven resident, Jackie’s mother

  JOHN WETENHALL, Belle Haven resident, Jackie’s father

  CARL WOLD, Belle Haven resident

  JEAN WOLD, Belle Haven resident, Carl’s mother

  THE GREENWICH BIT PLAYERS

  PAUL CZAJA, headmaster, Whitby School

  VIRGINIA LIDDELL, Greenwich resident who offered information on John Moxley

  CRAWFORD “TRES” MILLS, Tony Bryant and Neal Walker’s friend from Brunswick School

  CHRIS ROOSEVELT, attorney, Whitby School board member

  FRIEDA SAEMANN, Greenwich resident who told police to question John Salerno

  MARIE SALERNO, Greenwich resident, John Salerno’s mother

  JOANNE MALLORY TUCKER, Tony’s friend who ran away to New York, Greenwich resident

  GRAY WEICKER, Greenwich resident, Martha’s admirer, son of US Senator Lowell Weicker

  THE NEW YORKERS

  BARBARA BRYANT, Tony’s mother, film producer

  TONY BRYANT, former Brunswick student, moved to Manhattan

  ADOLPH HASBROUCK, Tony’s friend from high school in Manhattan

  BURTON “BURR” TINSLEY, Tony’s friend from high school in Manhattan

  THE DOCTORS

  DR. WALTER CAMP, Skakel family physician

  DR. RICHARD DANEHOWER, Moxley family physician

  DR. STANLEY LESSE, psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital

  DR. KATHY MORALL, forensic psychiatrist

  DR. ALVIN ROSEN, Rucky Skakel’s psychiatrist in Florida

  DR. NANCY VRECHEK, psychologist, forensic hypnotist

  THE LAWYERS

  LINDA KENNEY BADEN, defense attorney, brief member of Michael Skakel’s defense team, wife of Michael Baden

  JONATHAN BENEDICT, Connecticut state prosecutor who tried Michael

  DONALD BROWNE, Connecticut state prosecutor before Jonathan Benedict

  JOE DONOVAN, Great Lakes Carbon lead attorney

  SUSAN GILL, Jonathan Benedict’s assistant prosecutor

  MANNY MARGOLIS, Tommy Skakel’s defense attorney

  JIM MCKENZIE, Great Lakes Carbon attorney

  JOHN MEERBERGEN, Kenny Littleton’s defense attorney

  CHRIS MORANO, Jonathan Benedict’s assistant prosecutor

  JOHN REGAN JR., attorney, Coleman family lawyer

  JOE RICHICHI, Mickey Sherman’s longtime law partner

  HUBERT “HUBIE” SANTOS, Michael’s co-lead appeals attorney

  STEPHAN SEEGER, attorney on Michael’s defense team

  HOPE SEELEY, Michael’s co-lead appeals attorney

  TOM SHERIDAN, Skakel family lawyer and bursar, Margot’s uncle

  MARK SHERMAN, attorney on Michael’s defense team, Mickey Sherman’s son

  MICKEY SHERMAN, Michael’s lead defense attorney

  JOHN SMRIGA, Fairfield County State’s Attorney after Jonathan Benedict

  JASON THRONE, junior attorney on Michael’s defense team

  THE JUDGES

  JUDGE THOMAS BISHOP, Connecticut appellate court judge (Michael’s habeas appeal, 2013)

  JUDGE JOHN KARAZIN, Connecticut appellate court judge (Michael’s appeal, 2007)

  JUDGE JOHN KAVANEWSKY, judge (Michael’s trial, 2002)

  JUSTICE RICHARD PALMER, Connecticut supreme court justice (Michael’s appeal, 2010)

  JUDGE GEORGE THIM, Connecticut superior court judge (Michael’s one-man grand jury, 1998)

  THE POLICE

  STEPHEN BARAN JR., Greenwich Police chief

  TED BROSCO, Greenwich Police detective

  STEVE CARROLL, Greenwich Police detective

  WAYNE CARVER, medical examiner who testified at Michael’s trial

  FRANK GARR, Greenwich Police detective, state’s chief investigator of Moxley case

  MARK GERBINO, Rochester, NY, Police major in homicide division

  ELLIOT GROSS, Medical Examiner who performed Martha’s autopsy

  SERGEANT HENNESSY, Greenwich Police officer who searched the Moxley home

  GERALD HALE, Detroit Police chief, hired by David Moxley to consult on the murder

  DAN HICKMAN, Greenwich Police youth officer, first on scene of murder

  MILLARD JONES, Greenwich Police youth officer, first on scene of murder

  PAUL KASEMAN, Ogden, NY, Police inspector

  TOM KEEGAN, Greenwich Police captain

  JIM LUNNEY, Greenwich Police detective

  JOE MCGLYNN, Greenwich Police detective

  CHARLES MORGANTI, Belle Haven security officer

  JACK SOLOMON, state’s chief investigator of Moxley case before Frank Garr

  HENRY LEE, state chief criminologist

  THE ÉLAN CREW

  LIZ ARNOLD, Élan resident with Michael

  DANIEL BENNISON, Élan resident who did Michael’s intake

  GREG COLEMAN, Élan resident with Michael

  DR. GERALD DAVIDSON, cofounder of the Élan school, psychiatrist

  ALICE DUNNE, Élan resident and counselor

  KIM FREEHILL, Élan resident with Michael

  CLIFF GRUBIN, Élan resident with Michael

  JOHN HIGGINS, Élan resident with Michael

  HARRY KRANICK, Élan resident with Michael

  SARAH PETERSON, Élan resident with Michael

  JOE RICCI, cofounder of the Élan school, racetrack operator

  CHUCK SIEGAN, Élan resident with Michael

  THE WITNESSES AND THEIR ASSOCIATES

  MATT ATTANIAN, friend of Gerranne Ridge, photographer

  KENNY LITTLETON, Brunswick football coach, Skakel tutor

  MARY BAKER LITTLETON, Kenny’s ex-wife

  JAMES MANCHESTER, Kenny Littleton’s boss, proprietor of Preston’s Airport Lounge in Nantucket, MA
/>   MICHAEL MEREDITH, prosecution witness in Michael’s trial, son of football great Don Meredith

  GERANNE RIDGE, Boston function coordinator

  THE MEDIA

  TIM DUMAS, Greenwich native, author of Greentown

  DOMINICK DUNNE, Vanity Fair columnist

  MARK FUHRMAN, disgraced former LAPD detective, author

  LUCIANNE GOLDBERG, Mark Fuhrman’s literary agent, Clinton impeachment figure

  NANCY GRACE, HLN host

  RICHARD HOFFMAN, ghostwriter Michael Skakel hired to pen his memoir

  BETH KARAS, HLN reporter

  LEN LEVITT, former Newsday reporter, author of Conviction

  THE PRIVATE EYES

  JAMIE BRYAN, writer hired by Jim Murphy to write Sutton Associates reports

  VITO COLUCCI, Mickey Sherman’s primary investigator

  GREG GARLAND, Larry Holifield’s co-investigator

  CATHERINE HARKNESS, Mike Udvardy’s assistant investigator

  LARRY HOLIFIELD, private investigator hired by Bobby Kennedy

  WILLIS “BILLY” KREBS, former NYPD lieutenant Jim Murphy hired for Skakel case

  DICK MCCARTHY, former FBI agent Jim Murphy hired for Skakel case

  JIM MURPHY, former FBI agent, founder of Sutton Associates

  KRIS STEELE, Vito Colucci’s co-investigator

  MIKE UDVARDY, investigator hired by Hubie Santos to find Barbara Bryant

  THE EXPERTS

  MICHAEL BADEN, forensic pathologist, former New York City chief medical examiner, husband of Linda Kenney Baden

  ROBERT BRISENTINE, US Army polygrapher

  ELIZABETH LOFTUS, expert on memory

  RICHARD OFSHE, expert on false confession and therapeutic cults

  TIMELINE

  OCTOBER 31, 1975: Sheila McGuire discovers the body of her neighbor Martha Moxley.

  NOVEMBER 1, 1975: Dr. Elliot Gross performs Martha Moxley’s autopsy and determines that her injuries were inflicted with a golf club.

  NOVEMBER 2, 1975: Greenwich Police remove from the Skakel home a set of Toney Penna golf clubs that appear to match the club used to murder Martha Moxley. Rucky Skakel signs “Consent to Search Premises Without Search Warrant” granting police free rein to search his house and remove “any merchandise, materials, or other property.”

  NOVEMBER 9, 1975: Tommy Skakel passes a polygraph test.

  DECEMBER 9, 1975: John Skakel passes a polygraph test.

  DECEMBER 10, 1975: Helen Ix and Geoff Byrne tell police that they recall as they were leaving Skakel house on October 30 seeing Tommy Skakel pushing Martha Moxley into a bush.

  DECEMBER 12, 1975: Rucky Skakel furnishes Greenwich Police with a key to his Windham, NY, ski house, and invites them to search it at will.

  DECEMBER 13, 1975: Tommy Skakel tells police that around the time of the murder, he was working on a report on Abraham Lincoln, which his teachers say was never assigned.

  JANUARY 16, 1976: Rucky Skakel provides Greenwich Police a letter authorizing them to access “any and all hospital, medical, psychological, and school records and/or any and all reports concerning my son, Thomas Skakel.”

  JANUARY 22, 1976: Rucky Skakel writes to Greenwich Police revoking his previous letter authorizing permission to access Tommy’s medical records, and hires attorney Manny Margolis to defend Tommy.

  MARCH 15, 1976: Dr. Stanley Lesse performs various psychological tests on Tommy Skakel.

  MARCH 25, 1976: Connecticut State’s Attorney holds a press conference expressing frustration with the Skakel family’s lack of cooperation.

  MAY 1976: Greenwich Police present State’s Attorney Donald Browne with an arrest warrant for Tommy Skakel. Browne refuses to sign it.

  UNDETERMINED 1976: Tony Bryant confides in Esme Dick that the Skakels were not responsible for the crime, and that he was in Belle Haven the night of the murder.

  OCTOBER 18, 1976: Kenny Littleton fails a polygraph.

  MAY 1977: Kenny Littleton is given 5 to 7 years suspended sentence for burglary charges in Nantucket, MA.

  MARCH 5, 1978: Michael Skakel is arrested in Windham, NY, on various charges, including DWI.

  APRIL 1978: Michael Skakel is transported to the Élan School in Poland, ME.

  NOVEMBER 15, 1978-DECEMBER 12, 1978: Michael Skakel escapes from the Élan School on three separate occasions, is apprehended, and returned.

  MAY 1980: Michael Skakel graduates from the Élan School.

  DECEMBER 27, 1980: Geoff Byrne dies at 16, reportedly of a drug overdose.

  OCTOBER 25, 1982: Michael Skakel enters an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Green wich, never to take a drink or drug again.

  MAY 1983: Greenwich Police turn over more than 400 pages of the Martha Moxley case file to Greenwich Time reporter Len Levitt.

  NOVEMBER 21, 1988: David Moxley dies of a heart attack at age 57.

  JUNE 2, 1991: Greenwich Time finally publishes Len Levitt’s story under the headline “Moxley Murder Case Still Haunts Greenwich” after holding it eight years.

  JUNE 1991: Andrea Shakespeare Renna tells investigators that she was under the “assumption” that Michael Skakel did not go to Sursum Corda with his brothers on October 30, 1975.

  AUGUST 9, 1991: State investigator Jack Solomon and Greenwich detective Frank Garr announce at a press conference that the Moxley case will be reinvestigated and the Moxley family raises reward money to $50,000.

  FALL 1991: Rucky Skakel’s attorney Thomas Sheridan engages Sutton Associates to reinvestigate the Martha Moxley murder.

  DECEMBER 1991: During William Kennedy Smith’s rape trial, Dominick Dunne and Hard Copy erroneously report that William Kennedy Smith had been with the Skakels on the night of Martha Moxley’s murder.

  DECEMBER 1992: Kenny Littleton flunks a polygraph administered by polygrapher Robert Brisentine, and is examined by psychologist Kathy Morall, who reports that his behavior would “suggest involvement or guilt.”

  APRIL 13, 1993: Crown publishes Dominick Dunne’s novel A Season in Purgatory, and Dunne states during interviews that Tommy Skakel is Martha Moxley’s likely killer.

  SEPTEMBER 30, 1994: Frank Garr retires from the Greenwich Police to work full time on the Martha Moxley murder for the State’s Attorney’s office, replacing Jack Solomon.

  SPRING 1995: Rucky Skakel discontinues Sutton Associates’ investigation at the urging of Manny Margolis.

  JULY 1995: An unknown source provides Len Levitt with Sutton Associates’ “purposely prejudicial analyses” of Michael and Tommy Skakel.

  NOVEMBER 26, 1995: Len Levitt publishes a story in Newsday in which he reports that Tommy Skakel changed his story about the night of the murder to Sutton Associates investigators.

  FEBRUARY 15, 1996: Frank Garr appears on NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries, seeking leads on the Martha Moxley case.

  JUNE 1996: People magazine reports that the Moxley family has raised reward money to $100,000.

  FALL 1996: Sutton Associate’s writer Jamie Bryan turns over copies of Sutton’s reports to Vanity Fair’s Dominick Dunne.

  OCTOBER 3, 1996: Mark Fuhrman pleads no contest to perjury for lying under oath during the O.J. Simpson trial about his use of the word “nigger” and is sentenced to three years of probation and a lifetime bar from serving as a police officer in California.

  DECEMBER 6, 1996: Frank Garr interviews Michael’s fellow Élan resident John Higgins for the first time.

  WINTER 1997: Dominick Dunne provides copies of Sutton Associates’ reports to Frank Garr.

  SUMMER 1997: Frustrated by Frank Garr’s inaction, Dominick Dunne turns over Sutton Associates’ reports to Mark Fuhrman.

  NOVEMBER 20, 1997: Cissie Ix tells Frank Garr that Rucky once confided in her that Michael had told him that he didn’t know if he might have killed Martha Moxley during a blackout.

  FEBRUARY 1998: William Morrow publishes Mark Fuhrman’s Murder in Greenwich, which names Michael Skakel as Martha Moxley’s likely killer.

  SPRING 1998: Leonard Levitt and
Frank Garr agree that they will collaborate on a book about the Moxley case despite the fact that the investigation is ongoing.

  APRIL 1998: Connecticut State’s Attorney Donald Browne abruptly retires, replaced by Jonathan Benedict.

  MAY 1998: Jonathan Benedict applies for, and is granted, a rarely used one-member grand jury to indict Michael.

  JUNE 1998: Superior Court Judge George Thim starts an 18-month, one-member grand jury review of information gathered by Frank Garr and the State’s Attorney’s office.

  JUNE 7, 1998: Frank Garr receives a call from Rochester NBC affiliate reporting that Greg Coleman called the station saying he heard a confession from Michael Skakel while at ÉLan.

  SUMMER 1998: Coleman family attorney John Regan Jr. tells State’s Attorney’s office that Greg Coleman should not be trusted as a witness.

  JANUARY 20, 1999: Frank Garr illegally seizes a book proposal, tapes, and various personal items belonging to Michael Skakel from the Cambridge, MA, home of writer Richard Hoffman.

  JANUARY 19, 2000: Michael Skakel surrenders to Greenwich Police after prosecutors announce that a warrant for his arrest has been issued. He is released on $50,000 bail.

  JUNE 20, 2000: Michael Skakel as well as prosecution and defense witnesses appear for a three-day Probable Cause hearing to determine if Michael can be tried as an adult.

  JANUARY 29, 2001:Élan founder Joe Ricci dies of cancer at 54.

  JANUARY 31, 2001: Juvenile Court Judge Maureen Dennis rules that Michael Skakel will be tried as an adult.

  AUGUST 7, 2001: Prosecution witness Greg Coleman dies from a dose of bad heroin at age 39.

  DECEMBER 2001: Tony Bryant tells Crawford Mills that he was in Belle Haven the night of the murder and believes that Adolph Hasbrouck and Burton Tinsley likely committed the crime.

  JANUARY 2002: Crawford Mills speaks with Mickey Sherman, who fails to follow up on Tony Bryant’s allegations.

  SPRING 2002: Crawford Mills sends several letters and faxes to Dorthy Moxley and Jonathan Benedict, outlining the allegations, but receives no response.

  MAY 7, 2002: Testimony begins in State of Connecticut v. Michael Skakel.

  JUNE 7, 2002: Michael Skakel is found guilty of first-degree murder.

  AUGUST 28, 2002: Michael Skakel is sentenced to a term of 20 years to life in prison.

  JANUARY 2, 2003: Rucky Skakel dies at 79 of frontal lobe dementia.

  JANUARY 2003: Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s article “A Miscarriage of Justice” appears in The Atlantic. Shortly after publication, Crawford Mills reaches out.