Appeals and Final Case Status

Before legally blonde, before law school, Elle Woods was in high school. Set in nineteen ninety five, this Gemini vegetarian knows exactly who she is, until her family moves from Bel Air to Seattle and turns her world upside down. Watch Elle navigate a new city, a new school, frenemies and crushes all while staying true to herself. Packed with iconic fashion, nineties nostalgia, and a throwback soundtrack, Elle proves one thing Law school was hard. High school was harder. From the world of legally blonde, watch Ell, a new original series only on Prime video july first. So you know that uneasy, anxious feeling you get when you think about dealing with your insurance company Well, there's actually a term for that. It's called insureanoia And if that sounds like something you're way too familiar with, you should really think about getting NJM insurance They go to great lengths to do what's best for their policyholders. by providing dedicated reps whose priority is you. And that means you'll find more peace of mind with them. Relieve your insuranoia with NjM insurance by visiting njM. com for a quote today Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobile with a message for everyone paying Big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just fifteen dollars fif a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile d. com slash switch Upfront payment of forty dollars for three month plan equival to fifteen dollars per month required, intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available tax and fe extra. SF terms at MintMobile.ot com Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. and I'm Alena and this is Morbad bed in the afternoon. think of I saw because like Last time I think we were like, okay, we' set your timers 'cause we're about to start the episode. I saw some funny ass people being like, it starts at sixty nine seconds. like it starts ato zero three seconds. So now you're never gonna know when it's funny. So I think you guys are funny. You guys are funny. But I don't think we have a ton of business Um Just some the normal stuff if you guys haven't bought tickets to the live show at Radio City. What do you twenty seventh Buy tickets to it, because I'm telling you, it's going to be a blast. We've really nailed some stuff down. Yep. we're reeling. It's going gonna to be fun. We have some fun merch. Yes. We have a special guest. this is gonna to be a really fun time. Vs from Romania. Yeah. literally. So get your butt there. and then you can just wander around New York. Yeah, all night. Actually don't, because I've been say I mean you shouldn't anyway. but I was always just a drp to begin with. I keep seeing these reports on the news the last couple days. I don't watch the news like they're getting film of like in the middle of the night, peopleeople are just going into manholes And then some people are like crawling out of manholes. It's just like a group of men. What Wh and they don't know what they're doing. Are they the teenage mutant ninja?? that's the running joke. general consensus That's very dangerous. L don't do that. Yeah. Like if you're one of those people, stop doing that Don't you like Emerging from a manhole, you could get sackerary banged real quick. Absolutely. That's crazy. Yeah. I'm saying. Itms like you're going into the sewers. That's what I'm saying. Nobody knows what they're doing. Nobody really knows what the situation is. It's been a couple nights of them like seeing these videos. I really hate that. So so that's going on Yeah. that's spooky. That's something. Pty spooky. So don't do that, but also On a totally different note what you should do is preordder the Butcher leegacy. Honestly, it's not even that much different the b because your book has some weird chick. Exactly. So there's that. And also U I don't know if you've noticed. someome of you have. I'm doing a little series, like a video series Trying my hand at it. It's a lot of work. I don't know how to put these videos together. Anybody who puts videos together and edits and does all this stuff all by themselves. influencers in the to you. You have a tough job propsst you for being able to edit a video because it's hard. It is hard. But yeah, so I'm doing a little video series where I'm gonna go through the chapters of the Butcher Legacy. and want give you a little sneak peek of every chapter, a little hint. Kind of Easter eggs. Yeah, Easter eggs, exactly. So keep a lookout for those Im putting them on TikTok and Instagram I think a couple of people might have thought it would had to do with the same slicer game that that Morbid is doing with Hunt a killer, Those are two different things. Yes, in case you were confused. So these are not like game pieces or anything. Yeah We'll do another video. Yeah, for sure So these are just keep a look out for them. I'm calling them the evidence recovery series. so Keep an eye out. I love it. It's so fun. It was been fun idea. It's been a really fun thing to do U And I'm trying to think if we have any other business. I think it's start to now. I think it's starting to also preordder the Salem slicer if want that, the game is so much fun. Incredibly. Yeah. It's really fun. A lot of people are getting theirs in the mail, like the ones that we sent out and like our friends and family are so excited. I'm so excited to see everybody get them U But yeah, I think that's it. Okay, it starts now Now All right, Carl, stop your timer. All right, starts now. All right. so when we last left you guys? Yeah, you left us on a fucking cliffhanger. We sure did because I talked about the Sutton report that was put together that was never made public Oh like some pieces. Yeah. I think that's the weirdest thing ever ever But One of the things that did come out from it was that Tommy Skakel lied about his whereabouts or or more his actions that night. Yeah. because remember, he said he just like went inside and started a project that didn't exist onn Abraham Lincoln that was proof to exist. And the teachers were like, nobody. But what alsose came out in this report was Some stuff about Michael Skkel. Interesting. We're't see that coming. When you said that, I said, cool. Yeah It's pretty crazy. Now as private investigators were digging into the Martha Moxley case, the state's attorney was doing their best to keep the press in the public. you know, in the loop with regard to the newly reopened investigation. Among other things, John Solomon was eager to employ the latest technology in DNA. becauseuse obviously that's coming out. That feels like it's going to open a million doors. Yeah, that's huge. They hopeed that was to identify the suspect, like Bar none the news that they might soon be able to identify the killer prompt both Tommy and Michael Skagel to have a change of heart with their initial stories. Oh So that so the word comes out like, hey, maybe we could identify someone like we have DNA, we have the Son report. They were like, actually, we'd love to tell you what we were actually doing that night. Alright. And they did admit to police that they lied about the night of the murder, and they would like to offer new alibice. Okay, which obviously in and of itself does not identify them as murders. It doesn't look good. Bea unfortunately, they were teenagers at the time. So you have to look at it like that. In Tommy's case, the alibi was more or less similar to what he had offered the first time he was interviewed But he dropped the story about doing the project. So that didn't exist. The teachers were like, butud, you really gott to stop because we have no proof of that. You're not doing a project on Abraham Lincoln. it's not doing. But he copp to being drunk at the time. Okay. because remember, they were young. They were like fifteen years old at this might young Michael's new alibi on the other hand was surpis Be he had said he was at another cousin's house, right? Yeah. Like you just said, according to Michael, he returned from his cousin's house around eleven PM. remember didn't go to bed as he had previously stated. Okay. Before he said he got home around eleven PM and he just went to bed. I thought that was little cig crag. Be like these kids all like to have a lot of fun and go around, you know? Now this is a little shocking. Okay what he did this forward Instead, he claimed he wandered around the neighborhood lookingking into the bedroom windows of his female neighbors. Oh until that's not even the shocking car. Oh until he returned home and climbed the tree outside of Martha's window and masturbated in the tree. Oh, what the actual fuck Yeah He just told investigators that Yeah He said, that's what I was actually doing. And what they do when they heard that I mean, I wasn't there. so I don't know what their exact reactions were. But had they proceed? I imagine they said Oh Yeah. Oh, o Fuck. U So what made his new alibi so surprising wasn't just that it outed him as a teenage peeping tom in a public masturbator. like those are pretty That's a big deal. that's a lot Not a public masturbator. I think the more what's crazy is the more shocking thing was that he essentially placed himself at the scene of the crime crime scene ye. making himself now, not his brother Tommy, the last person to maybe see Martha alive. Okay The new alibi wasn't just a bizarre twist. That's just not even an alibi. No. You can't call that an alibi. I guess I mean it is because it doesn't prove he urdered her. His alibi is that he was masturbating outside her bedroom window. I'm not out here saying it's a good like thing to doing Fuck, but technically it's an alib you're telling them where you were But And it doesn't obviously make him just from that a murdere. No, just a creep. J a creep. But what the bigger problem there is like they were saying he placed himself at the scene of the crime, essentially. So like that's what makes it more like Well like sure, that's an alibi, but it's good' the scene of the crime. Yeah. It also called into question the original timeline and it raised new questions about the reliability of the original investigation, which was already Yeah, pretty shhaky Now within days of the murder, investigators had ruled Michael Skcaagegel out as a suspect. That was in the beginning based on the fact that He was confirmed to have been at his cousin's house when they thought the murder occurred around ten PM Okay He was they the cousins were like, yeep, he was there. Yeah. But the only reason this is wild to me. The only reason investigators believe the murder occurred at ten PM. was not based on medical examiner evidence. Oh, like it should be. Y They were basing it on reports from neighbors about the agitated barking dogs in the neighborhood That we're barking at ten PM. Gotta be fucking kidding me Yeah. you that's basically that's the same as like eyewitness testimony. likeike that's never That's not that reliable. it's actually even worse. I was just going to say that there' no I is that on the same level as eyewitness testimony You're literally saying animals. madeade noises We're at a time one night So someone must have been being murdered. And you're relying on people's memory of what time that was, which like, again, people have shaky memories. And just the fact that Dogs bark Yeah gark My dog barks for reason for sometimes. My dog barks sometimes when they see their own reflection in the window. Y. My dog barks at my other dog when my other dog is laying down and she wants to play. Y. My dog barks sometimes when they bark My dog farks Yeah. My dog barks when she farts chas. Sometimes it upsets them Or the other one barks when the other one farts. Dolores when she farts, she chases her butt and barks. And I'm like, bitch, that was you. That's you. It's almost like she's like mad at her butt for betraying. thing Dogs are awesome. Yeah. doogs are awesome But they're gonna to do wileily shit for no reason. they're barking at their own farts. So it's like we're using them as a forensic tool now. Like when did that happen? Yeah, they're not canine dogs, babe. That's insane to me to be like, well, dogs barked around ten PM. So that was obviously when the murder happened. It's like, no, I think they were just barking. And again, like not even take the dogs out of it, you're relying on the neighbor saying what time that happened. That's no good. What's even worse with this is The medical examiner had never really agreed with investigators stated time of death. And they're all they're the expert I would say medical examiner. Yeah, they got the actual b physiological evidence that shows that this is when They had actually played Martha's time of death anywhere between nine thirty PM five A That's a big window. It was only because investigators believed the local dogs to be more reliable than the medical examiners. Esentially. shing that they were able to rule Michael Skcaakel out in the first place. That was the only reason he was ruled out. That is so because he had toy for when the dogs were barking That's not when the medical examiner is saying It could have occurred. That's crazy. Yeah Also Now that he'd admitted to trying to trying to watch Martha through her window after he'd returned from his cousin's home, Michael hadn't just ruled himself back in as a suspect. He'd effectively moved himself to the top of the list. Yeah, you'reating outside of her window. He's at the scene. Yeah. That's she was two hundred feet from her house. Right You were there. Yep Now, although no one outside Sutton associates knew it at the time, there was a lot more that made Michael Skakel a strong suspect than just a bizarre new alibi. And this was the Sutton report was like likeike their family hired that law group. So this is interesting. Yeah. According to the Sutton report, because remember, we got little bits and pieces on Yeahah, not the whole thing. the quote, att the very least, it is fair to say Michael Skakel has for whatever reason, often acted out in certain ways to arouse suspicion Reportedly, Michael once even confessed to the murder of Martha Moxley in a therapy session while a patient at the Elon Treatment center. Oh fuck. In fact, while he was at the Elon school, Michael confessed multiple times to murdering Martha Moxley in both group therapy settings and in private conversations Okay. Although he would later recant at least one of those confessions in an email correspondence with one of the other students at Elon The discovery of that information would have been damning if it had been made public and it wasn't at the time That's so tough. I know of like therapy. Yeah, you have to be careful about that When he was informed of his son's confession at the Elon schoolchool, Rushed in Skakel immediately pulled the plug on the entire investigation. paying any remaining fees and ending multiple years of work Since everyone involved in the private investigation had signed a confidentiality agreement I wish you guys could see my face right Yeah. because my face is saying Well, all the people involved in the private investigation had signed a confidentiality agreement. So they were all prohibited from disclosing any information contained in the report to law enforcement or to the public. And NDA, brother. Once again, it seemed that Skakel's money and power had kind of shielded his family from any responsibility There was one thing he hadn't counted on. Stop what It was true that every investigator on the case had signed a confidentiality agreement. But But the young employees who'd been tasked with organizing the information for the investigators had not been required to sign anything. When that young man, one young man He you shall not be named. He has remained anonymous learned that the report and Skakeo's confession to murder were being shelved and would not see the light of day He stole the report and sent it to Dominic Dunn. Not all heroes were capes because he had seen Dominic Dunn talking about the case on the news and he was like, I think you should have this. Wow. That's always like my favorite part of a story. One person is just like, I think you should look at this. I love when one person just is like, Dominiic Dunn had built a respectable career for himself as a writer covering crime, but he also wasn't exactly an investigative journalist at the time. Which he actually shifted a lot after the murder of his daughter, Which is what was required if the Sutton report was going to be put to good use. You need an investigative journalist some sort So rather than pursue the story himself, Dunn forwarded the report to former Los Angeles police detective, turned author, Mark Furman. Okay And Dunn didn't know personally, but he respected the work he had done. Okay Now, although he would eventually make a name for himself as an author and journalist, Furman first became a household name. someome people might be like, wait a minute. The name sounded familiar. He became a household name across America during the OJ. Simpson trial. In nineteen ninety four. He was an LAPD detective and he investigated the murder of Simpson's wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron G and was the investigator who found the notorious bloody glove. Oh shit. During the trial, though, several witnesses for the defense testified that Furman had previously made racist statements in their presence, leading the defense to charge that Furman had tampered with evidence in order to obtain a conviction desespite there being no evidence to suggest the glove had been planted by anyone the controversy and documentation of his past, essentially the remarks he had made It made him a pariah everywhere L in law enforcement, you know, he retired in nineteen ninety five the next day, the next day. very next day the next year. And he did write Murder in Brentwood about the Simpson murder in the trial. Okay. Murder in Brentwood had really impressed Dominic Dunn And so when he came across the Sutton report, Fman was the first person that came to Don's mind. Okay. because he was like, he knows how to do this shit. Yeah Now, after reading the Sutton report, Frman placed a call to Dorothy Moxley, who by then have moved to New Jersey to live near her son. Okay Unlike Dunn, who'd written a fictional account of the case, Frman wanted to write a nonfiction account and not only intended to emphasize the countless mistakes made by law enforcement, but he also wanted to identify Martha's killer.. He later said, I felt like I had a heavy burden on my shoulders. I just told this woman who's been waiting twenty three years for some solution to her daughter's homicide that I could solve it. So I had no choice then. I actually had to go out and solve it. Now with Dorothy's consent, It's a lot to t yourself with. Now with Dorothy's consent Furman got to work digging into the case, but immediately ran into problems when word of his intentions reached the local police. Sensing that Furman was planning to smear them in the investigation with his book, Furman was shut out by local law enforcement and claims he claims that he was threatened with arrest if he went near any residence of Bellhaven. Allegedly. Allegedly. That's what is claimed. Fortunately, he soon found an ally and retired Greenwich detective Carol. Oh original lead on the Moxley case. Okay He later said his absence of ego at not being able to solve this case was a great contribution because he admitted things that I think other detectives wouldn't have. Okay, whichich is like really impressive. that. I like that he said his lack of ego at not being able to solve this case. Like he didn't go into this being like Whatever, we did all we could and this isn't my fault. Like he was like, no, I think we fucked up along the way. That's good solved. You have to be willing to admit fault. Yeah, onnce Dorothy Moxley gave her consent for Carol to speak with Furman The former detective became Furman's greatest asset as he attempted to navigate a community that was very vocally opposed to his presence. Time is changing the way people bank with fee free banking built for you. No overdraft in monthly fees, thousands of fee free ATMs, and members can benefit from up to one thousand one hundred fifty dollars in annual rewards With a Chime card, you get five percent cashb back in a category of your choice, like gas or groceries, and you get savings that grow faster with a three point seven percent APY That's nine times higher than the national average Chime is not just smarter banking, it is the most rewarding way to bank Join the millions who are already banking fee free today, head to chime dot com slash morbid. That is chime d. com slash morbid. It only takes a few minutes to sign up. Chime is a FintTech, not a bank. banking services for Chime card provided by ChimMe's bank partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges, stated annual percentage yield and cashback for Chime prrime only. No minimum malance required. For more information on APY rates, go to chime dot com slash disclosures I want to share something that really caught my attention as a parent. I've learned that myopia, nearsightedness, is becoming much more common in kids, and it's not something you want to ignore. If it goes unchecked, it can have an impact that goes way beyond schoolwork What really matters is starting with an eye exam. An eye doctor can tell you what's going on with your child's vision and walk you through options that are designed specifically for kids like Essler Stellist lenses I like that stellist lenses are made for children and fit right into everyday life. They look like regular glasses, but they're part of a more thoughtful approach to managing myopia If you're a parent and you've been meaning to book an eye exam, this is your sign Visit ler. com to learn more about stellist lenses and to find an ELer expert eye careare professional near you Have you been to Burlington? F stores are looking hot for the summer. They had a glow up, so you need to show up to save on the latest trends From dresses and sandals to swim and beauty, Arlington has something to make every moment of the summer one to remember Choose just one style. With our prices, just get it all Your summer Delight starts here. Burlington. Dals? Brands? Wow Now the problem with the Moxley case is that regardless of how many mistakes were made in the investigation The fact remained that there also was little for investigators to like work with here journalist Joel Lang wrote As damning as the evidence may seem, it proves little Anyone might have and this is true. you have to look at first when you first look at this, you say, o my God, how could it how could you not? And it's true. it looks damning. It does When you really pull apart the pieces though, you go, well you have to think of every part of this because anybody could haveone might have dropped the club outside and anyone might have picked it up Who knows if one of them had just had the club, dropped it outside somewhere? Someone somebody stumbled up to it No one the police interviewed said that they saw Tommy with the golf club. Okay So there's just that. And I'm just just from like a purely like, perspective, you know what I mean? Like sure, somebody is it likely I don't know. Yeah, you know, like it's just but you have to think of these things You know they weren't able to get any prints off of it. I know I don't know. Maybe somebody was wearing gloves, who knows? Maybe Now, in fact, even with all the circumstantial evidence pointing towards the Skakel house, investigators still had the wrong person as their prime suspect in the case Of course the only people who knew that were contractually bound to secrecy. Be remember, they were going after Tommy. R Furman may have had the one piece of evidence that would break the case wide open and finally shed light on the identity of Martha's killer. Okay. In the spring of nineteen ninety eight, Furman's book, Murder in Greenwich, who killed Martha Moxley, was published. much to the consternation and very much to the ire of the investigators at the Greenwich Police Department and in the state's atttorney's office In the book, Ferman laid out the facts as they were known, paying particular attention to the myriad of mistakes made by investigators and asserts the widely accepted theory that a wealthy and powerful family had stymied the investigation from the start That like that word stymed. But the real bombshell was that Furman took the rare step of naming the person he believed was responsible for Martha's murder. That's bold. He named Michael Skakel. Interesting You gota be You you got to have balls to do that because for so many reasons Murder and Greenwich was an immediate bestseller, and it also attracted scathing criticism., partarticularly from those Firment sought to undermine with the book. Like Frank Garr, a firmer Greenwich detective who was working for the state at the time the book was published, said Furman has the luxury of not having to back up anything he says. so he can name anybody he wants and he can say anything he wants in that book, which I was like, technically, you can't. No. Not if he doesn't want to be I was gonna say But Greenwich Police chief Peter Robins shared a similar sentiment about the work, telling a reporter, his real intent was to make money. I don't think he was necessarily attempting to solve a crime Okay. So relying heavily on the Sutton report and interviews conducted with Michael Skakekel's classmates at the Elon schoolchool, Furman laid out a very plausible case against Skakekel while also exposing how the case had been so badly botched by investigators in the first place Ferermman told a reporter, I can find very little they did correctly in the investigation. I don't want to be smug or arrogant about this, but I obviously know much more than they do. Dang, my fuck. Now on june eighteenth Just one month after the publication of his book, Connecticut's chief Ct administrator, Aaron Ment announced that a one person grand jury comprised of superior Court justice George Thimm was being called upon to review the evidence against Michael Skakel. Never in my life. H I family of a one person grand jury. That's the end also Oh, so suddenly Yeah Everybody doesn't like this b and they think like everyverybody thinks the book is aunch a crock of shit and all of a sudden they're like a little more. you bring him in front of a grand jury? It's like, wait Yeah Wh one is makeake that makes sense. Like interesteresting. Now the announcement of the grand jury came as a surprise, not only because like you said it consisted of one man. But also because thats grand. it doesn't seem grand. I mean. I don't know who George is, but he's got to be issrand L T's a great guy, But also because Connecticut does not require a grand jury before felony charges can be filed. Oh. According to Connecticut lawyer Norman Pattis Grand juries in Connecticut are only used for political purposes. Having a grand jury provides insulation for a prosecutor in a politically sensitive case. the decision to indict is made by a panel of anonymous citizens. Or just one. or just George or just grandmaster George justge. Al sorry I was like, I'm sure he's a great guy. I really went on a limb there Yeah Wh knows? I don't know George That he's a great guy, but I don't know him. As a gal, you can never say you're sure a man is great. Oh, so I I'd like to recant that. I stay over here saying, I don't know George. Yes. I don't know I hope that he's great is what I should have said. So another way of saying all this is in other words, the district attorney can't be blamed if the accuses isn't indicted because It was the grand jury that made the decision, not the prosecutor. All right. It's just to keep them from the I didn't do it To anyone who had been following this case, it looked like Whether investigators liked it or not, the publication of murder in Greenwich had managed to break the case somewhat. Yeah. Like at least move something along. R. But when he was asked about the matter, detective Frankar dismissed the suggestion that the book had anything to do with the filing. So said We've talked to hundreds of people and gathered some information that was previously unknown. So we reached a point where having a grand jury was an option The books added interest to the public and the media, but they had no impact on the investigation It wasn't like public pressure after people read the book. Whatever you say. Yeah. okay, sure For decades, Martha Moxley's friends and family desperately sought answers to her Remember brutalal murder But we're just again, stymied. since you like that word.. You' stym it at every turn. Now, after more than twenty years, it looks like Martha might finally get the justice that she deserves Of course, nothing in this case. is straightforward at all. No. And there was no reason to believe that would change. Last really just Yeah Well and least of all because of the publication of this You know. Yeah. So on july twelfth, nineteen ninety eight, the one man grand jury proceeding George. It began in Bridgeport, where justustice George Thimm began hearing testimony and reviewing the evidence in the case Among those seated in the gallery were Dorothy and John Moxley, who were accompanied by former Greenish detective Daniel Hickman Hickman told a reporter, I'm very glad we're doing this. Glad we're investigating this matter a little further. I hope something good comes out of this for the sake of the family in the community. Yeah Given the number of times the Sakel family had kind of thwarted investigators' attempts to get answers into the Loxley case It should come as no surprise that the grand jury hearing was pretty similarly frustrating, and it ultimately dragged on for eighteen months. Wow, holy yeah,it. During that time, the majority of the So family members who were expected to testify publicly stated their intent to skip the hearing Is that allowed Rushton Skgel was particularly adamant in his refusal, telling reporters, I wasn't there personally. I was hunting when the slaying happened. So he saw no reason why he should be there. by. I wonder I don't know if I'm just like making this up, but I wonder if you could be held in contempt of court for not showing up to testify when you're called upon I would think so. I look to Debbie's just like shrugging and be like, yeah, usually right likeike you would think. Yeah, that's typical. It's interesting. Yeah. But others who refused to testify or otherwise attempted to stonewall the prosecution, including Sutton Associates detective Willis Krebs and Elon school owner Joseph Reachci. Okay. Krebs cited attorney client privilege as his reason for not divulging the names of those interviewed during the investigation I mean, that makes sense, I guess. But the judge rejected the claim It doesn't. It doesn't make sense. The judge rejected the claim and Krebs was compelled to release the names Richci's refusal, on the other hand, proved a more challenging matter he's the Elon schoolool In his case school. In his case, he cited doctor patient confidentiality as his reason for declining to testify or release information about Michael's time at E, whichich that's a lot more. Unlike yeah, unlike Scaakel's contract with Sutton, the mutually assured privacy between a doctor and their patient is taken very seriously in the legal system. Yeah. Skgel's lawyer, David Gudberg said it completely undercuts that privilege if you can change the rules after the fact In response, the prosecution argued that the confession ote had nothing to do with Skeakel's treatment or any illness. Therefore should not be privileged information. Which I can get that. Which if you're saying he was talking in private conversations with like fellow students I would think, yeah, that wouldn't have anything to do with his treatment Deb Deb has just informed us that she's not positive, but she said because she doesn't know Connectut law but she she knows Mas law. There is the possibility that Rushon Sakel, especially the father wouldould not be compelled to testify because of like the parent child. It's kind of like a spouse. It's privilege. Yeah privile So that makes sense, I suppose. Yeah, no, I can see that But I' interested though because obviously it was more than him that refused. So I'm like, what did everybody else say? Yeah Now, again, they're say they're claiming that his confessions, Michael's confessions had nothing to do with his treatment. So that's why they should be allowed to have the doctor testify Ultimately, the judge sided with the defense and any statements Michael made while at Elon were deemed inadmissible. Why is that hard to say? Interesting Yeah And fininally, in january two thousand, the grand jury ruled that even without the incriminating statements made at Elon, there was sufficient evidence to charge Michael Skakel with the murder of Martha Moxley. That's without the confession. He was just going to say, okay, so then what's the evidence? But in an odd twist This is the twistiest c. The arrest warrant and any associated documentation related to the case would not list Sakel by name, as he was a juvenile. In response to news of the indictment, Sakel's lawyer, Michael Sherman told reporters, If he's arrested, he's going to plead not guilty, come to court and we'll go to trial. He's innocent. He has nothing to do with this murder. This is not a case that will result in a plea bargain Okay Now, as expected, on january twentieth, an arrest warrant was issued for Michael Skakel, who surrendered at the Greenwich Police Department that afternoon where we spent roughly thirty minutes before being released on five hundred thousand dollars of bond I That's shocking. For those who'd lived in Greenwich since the murder occurred, it was a moment they never thought would come. Bellhaven resident Martha McNentry said, a lot of people would like to see closure. If an arrest is heading towards that, then I think that's a relief for everyone.. The arrest was followed by the usual cries of innocence from, you know, Skkeakekel's lawyer Michael Sherman, but Skeakel himself seem interested only in protesting the arrest directly to Dorothy Moxley herself. Oh, withith Sherman's encouragement his lawyer. Yeah Michael reached out to Dorothy Much to her surprise and disagent She later said, What he said to me was, Dorothy, I feel your pain, but you've got the wrong guy And she saidn't I was incensed that he would call me Dorothy. I'm sorry, but I do believe I deserve some more respect than that. He should have called me mrs. Moxley and he shouldn't have talked to me. It wasn't the right thing to do. Yeah, there's so much wrong with that. T with exact call her mother Yeah. Like Well, like exactly what she said. putut some respect on her name. It's misses Moxley. And she said, he shouldn't have called me at all. Shn't have called her at all. And the fact that he did and said, I can feel your pain, No, you can't Yeah. No You don't know a mother's pain whose daughter was slaughtered two hundred feet from her home teen year old daughter Like, you can't feel her pain. I don't ever say that. Yeah. That's nuts. That whole entire decision is nuts from start to finish Now two weeks later, on february eighth, Michael Skakel was arraigned on one count of second degree murder in juvenile court After reviewing the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the case, the juvenile court judge had the case transferred to the criminal division of the suuperior Court, ending the period in which M Sakel's name was withheld from any official document. Be because now he's an adult Now the case was preceded by the usual round of pretrial hearings. But the prosecution was dealt a significant blow. onn august seventh, two thousand one when their star witness, Former Elon student, Gregory Coleman was found dead from an apparent drug overdose Coleman was one of the two students who testified to the grand jury that Michael had confessed to killing Martha while at Elon and his testimony was key to securing a conviction I just wanted to let that hang in the room for a minute. Fortunately, the judge allowed the prosecution to present Coleman's deposition at trial in lieu of his testimony. Okay. But the lack of his presence was a major source of frustration hiously Now Skegel's trial began on may seventh, two thousand two at the county courthouse in Norwalk As expected, the trial had drawn a ton of people, like a huge crowd of observers and journalists, many of whom were hoping for an appearance of like a rich and famous attendee at the trial. And they weren't disappointed, I guess. As early as the first day, many members of the Skakel and Kennedy families were in attendance. to support Michael, includluding his cousins, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shut up and Douglas Kennedy I didn't even know there was a Douglas. Yeah, this is a Douglas. There's so many of ' them. I knew about. Kandates are far reaching. Dominic Dunn said, The thing that I've always found so curious about the Kennedy's support of Michael is that Michael wrote a treatment for a book in which he says absolutely terrible things about his cousins, the Kennedys. and yet Bobby Kennedy Jr. was up here hugging him and supporting him public public appearanceces been Yeah In his opening statement, prosecutor Jonathan Benedict laid out the the state's case against Michael, stating with their belief that both Michael and Tommy had been vying for Martha's attention And while she had no real interest in either of them. Yeah, she clearly favored Tommy a little over his brother. Okay. And I think that based on like her des and her dary where like Michael was mad because she was quote unquote leading him on. Yeah. he seemed kind of protective over his brother. Yeah. And he seemed like ye Now, it was the state's assertion that after the group of friends had gone their separate ways that night, Michael returned from his cousin's house and coaxed Martha outside and made a romantic or physical overture. to her, you know. When Martha rejected Michael's advances, he became physical and eventually attacked her with the golf club. Okay now rem I want to clim say this again This was the prosecutor, Jonathan Benedict theory. Yeah is the argument that's what happen happens. Right In his statement, Benedict acknowledged that it was incumbent upon the state to prove not only that Michael was a killer, but that he had intended to kill Martha that night To that end, the prosecutor used a large projection in the courtroom to show the jury and observers the crime scene photographs, showing the extent of the brutality Martha had suffered before her death And he said, and I agree with him, I can think of no photos more compelling of substantiating an intent to kill. Yeah. There is no way Whoever did that to Martha? did not intend to kill her. No No, as for how the case was finally broken at the time, Benedict told the jury, sometimes some people simply can't keep a secret That, as you will see, is how things eventually unraveled for Michael Skakel In his client's defense, Michael Sherman refuted the state's claims and their theory, arguing that after years of bad police work and pressure to solve the case, investigators decided to just pin the murder on Michael. Okay He said, The case that we have is based loosely on a very shaky house of cards and mostly wild cards and a few jokers as well Okay, let's not get super theatrical with it. I'm not out here trying to judge statements in a courtroom. I'm always out here trying to judge statements in a courtroom. that made me go' like that.causeuse you could have just ended it out like a shaky house of cards. 'cause I was nodding. Yeah. Yeah kind of with jokers. A little bit. Mostly wild cards, maybe a few jokers. I'd be like no, you ever did it. You did it. W it again, Michael write it again He didn't run that with like ye, anyone. He didn't read that for anyone, I feel. No. Read that in front of someone and see if they go That's like Yeahah, I don't like it It's honestly really easy to ignore your finances until you feel like you're drowning underneath them Staying on top of your money can feel like a lot, but it doesn't have to be. That's where rocket money comes in. Rocket Money helps you keep track of your subscriptions and makes it easy to cancel the ones that you're no longer using all within the app in just a few taps. It also brings together your checking, savings, loans, and investments into one simple dashboard so you can actually see what's going on with your finances You can build budgets, set savings goals, and get personalized insights with regular reports to help you stay on track Plus, you'll get real time alerts for things like big purchases, upcoming bills, and low balances so that nothing catches you off guard. I truly think that's one of the worst feelings when you have like a major bill coming out. sayay it's like a credit card that You use sometimes, not all the time and you forget when the monthly payment is coming out The nice thing is that Rocket Money will tell you before that happens and before you're sent to a full panic. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings Let roocket money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at rocketmoney d. com slash morbid. That's rocketmoney d. com slash morbid rocketmoney dot com slash morbid Gigo presents a thirty second podcast between your podcast Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal, or more like what My insurance bill. And with trembling hands I grabbed my phone and switched to Geio, saving about nine hundred dollars in the process, and never to be betrayed again Now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Gaiko Traditional home security only alerts you after a break in, and that's too late. Simply Safe is changing that This is simply safe. Police are on the way We don't just alert. We stop crime before it starts. Simpplly safe, planans starting around a dollar a day. Save fifty percent on your new system with professional monitoring at simppllysafe d. com slash SXM or with promo code SXM or derce requires sim safe,ardo protion, starting for nine month. visit safeot lens for ar license ination Tennesy two zero one two Now the state's case against Michael was entirely circumstantial and it hinged very significantly on the testimony of Gregory Coleman. R who'd heard Skakel's confession. But he had passed away, right? Yes Coleman's death before the trial was a big problem Benedict. However, several weeks into the trial, the prosecutor was contacted by Jennifer Pes, another former Elon student who offered to testify and corroborate Coltman's statement that Michael not only confessed to the murder but also that he believed, and I quote, he was going to get away with murder because he was a Kennedy. So this is what Jennifer Pes was saying that she could back up She told the jury that Coleman had confided in her that he thought Michael Skakel was, quote, sick and that Skakel had, quote, beat some girl's head in and killed her with a golf club. Oh shit. The testimony from Jennifer Pes went a long way to corroborating Coleman's earlier statements and those of his widow who testified prior to Pes Wow On june third, the prosecution and defense gave their final statements before the jury retired to corerate. That's today. Oh my God.'s today. I'm not kidding guys. We don't know this purpose Today is june third though. That's so weird. What the f This happens to us so Wh? I don't know. I'd had to stop you before not guys, I swear on everything, we do not do this on purpose. No fact we are supposed to A lot of times we're supposed to record earlier than we do. Yeah, and then we don't. And when we do record, it is falling on the day because we were gonna record this yesterday Th we didn't. Yeah. So That's weird.. That's weird. It's weird. Okay, wow Well, on june third, The prosecution and defense gave their final statements before the jury retired to deliberate In his closing remarks, Jonathan Benedict focused on the sheer brutality of the crime and Skeakel's sense of untouchability afforded to him by his family's wealth and power He said This is really graphic, by the way.. He said the act of stabbing her through the neck from one side through the other is the most emphatic evidence of pure hatred, rage, and intent to kill Now in his final argument, Michael Sherman was Blunt and simple He didn't practice this one either Good morning He didn't do it He didn't do it He doesn't know who did He wasn't there when the crimes were committed, and he never confessed That's the whole case abe that's not going to convince me of anything. That's just gonna to convince me you didn't have your morning coffee. Yeah, that's The fuck? I feel like you should have done this earlier. Yeah. Like I feel like this is one of those that you were like, I did this before breakfast. Well ye Just threw that one together. Yeah, that's a rough. But then he just used the rest of it. So that was his like, here's what I'm gonna hereere's my argument. He didn't do it. He didn't do it. He doesn't know who did. He wasn't there. He never confessed. That's it. Are you gonna tell me why though? And then the rest of the time, he just used to attack the prosecution. That's not The witnesses and the investigators for what he alleged was a concerted effort to frame Michael Sanew He said, I have to tell you, this is the worst one conspiracy I've ever seen. Wow Now the jury deliberated for four days before finally coming out on june eighth. My birthday. Hey to find Michael Skakekel guilty of the murder of Martha Moxley. Oh bad day for Michael. Now, when the verdict was read, Sakekel swayed slightly and shook his head in disbelief From somewhere behind him, a member of the Scaakel family shouted, Oh my Godd Martha's family, on the other hand, was very happy with the jury's decision. You wait that long for justice to your daughter. Dorothy told a group of reporters, this whole thing was about Martha. Yeah. I feel so blessed and so overwhelmed. This is Martha's day. I hope people remember that Now, when asked about the verdict, his book had seemingly help secure at the time, Mark Firman praised the jury. He said they were attentive, they gave away nothing They made no mistakes. Even when I talked to them, they said they were of one mind very early on that he was guilty. Now in late August, Skel went back to the Nora courourt for sentencing. and when asked whether he had anything to say for himself Sakel went on the offensive. He attacked his accusers and repeatedly professed his innocence beforefore passing sentence, Judge John Kavanewski's address to the court was s pretty broad just saying, for the last twenty five years or more, a period well into his adult life, the defendant has been living a lie about his guilt. Most importantly, this defendant has accepted no responsibility. He has expressed no personal remorse to this present day All of this persuades me to impose a sentence which on balance is substantial And with that, he sentenced Scagel to twenty years to life to be served at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, Connecticut. Okay. Now his appeals began almost immediately after the sentence. In two thousand four, the Connecticut Supreme Court heard his claims that among other things, his constitutional rights were violated when the state prosecuted him for a crime in which the statute of limitations had expired The argument depended largely on Skgel having been underage when the murder was committed, and the judge in juvenile court had erred in transferring the case to criminal court. In their conclusion, the justices upheld the lower court's ruling Noting, if the trial court erred in their actions, the defendant has not established harm Okay. So they just kepted it. They were like, no Now in subsequent appeals, Scaakel's defense team made a number of claims of improper conduct from claims of prosecutorial misconduct to the credibility of witness testimony and beyond. Okay. Each case was considered by the higher courts and rejected on the merits Now then in twenty thirteen, Sakel launched another appear appeal for a new trial, this time arguing that his original trial attorney, Michael Sherman was incompetent and was more interested in building his own reputation and celebrity than he was in defending his client Okay. Martha Moxley's friends, family and neighbors waited more than twenty five years for her to see justice and it felt like It had finally been found. Yeah. But in november twenty thirteen, Judge Thomas Bishop agreed with Scaakel's complaint and ordered a new trial. In his conclusion, Judge Bishop noted that Michael Sherman quote, was in a myriad of ways ineffective. And as such, there was no way to be certain that the jury was acting on the best information available. Okay To Martha's family who had been struggling through a frustrating investigation and decades of uncertainty in trials The reversal was a massive disappointment.. Of course it was. But one that was not entirely unexpected, unfortunately. Yeah given the extent of Skakel's resources. Dorothy Moxley told reporters after Skakel was released on bail, pending a new trial I guess I knew that the day would come. And she said, it would have made my life much easier for this not to happen. Oh that must be Be they must even come up with how that would feel to have it like finally, this is over, we can start healing. But then not on. Ever really believe it's true. But then it's just reversed. And that's the thing. and they were It's like holding your breath wing for the moment. Like because she believed That they got it right. Yeah But she never believed that it would hold because she knows they have avenant resources. Now like Dorothy Moxley, the prosecution was ready when the reversal happened and had already started preparing for a retrial. Okay. Fortunately, however, the prosecution wouldn't have to go that route In twenty sixteen, the Connecticut Supreme Court overruled the lower court and concluded that Skakel had in fact been given a fair trial, even if he didn't feel as though the lawyer provided the best possible defense. Okay. One of the justices wrote in their concurrence, Sherman's defense need not have been the best decision or even a good one. It need only fall within the wide range of reasonable decisions that a defense attorney might make. Okay To those who'd been watching the case from day one, the state Supreme Court's decision seemed like an attempt to correct the previous injustice. Yeah. But there wasn't much time to celebrate Okay. Be its up and down, up and down In fact, despite having reinstated the conviction, the question of whether Michael Sherman provided adequate representation would be argued back and forth in the state Supreme Court for two more years. until may twenty eighteen, when the court ultimately reversed their original decision, their earlier decision and agreed with Sakel's complaint that his lawyer had been ineffective and thus he was originally deprived of a fair trial. Okay. From the moment he was arrested in nineteen ninety one, nearly everyone in Greenwich, Connecticut watched and waited to see how Michael Skakel's wealth and power would possibly help him in this scenario They figured it was just a foregone conclusion that it was going to come into play. Yeah. to the shock of many That proved ineffective when a jury found him guilty and a judge sentenced him to spend the rest of his life in prison. Securing Skegel's conviction in a lengthy sentence was a major victory for the prosecution who had to again, contend with really poor police work, missing evidence, the death of their star witness mid trial.. But in truth, his conviction was just never a sure bet The case there was a lot of circumstantial stuff and There was a there was a lot of time between crime and when the trial occurred. Yeah there was just a lot that were a lot working against them. Yeah Now that Skakel had once again managed to win a new trial and was out on bail The district attorney needed to decide whether they could feasibly secure the same verdict nearly thirty years later. with many of their witnesses having passed away Or simply forgotten the important parts of their testimony. ' they're getting older. Right. I don't remember thirty years ago. No, and it's you can't necessarily rely on somebody's memory from thirty years ago you're on a jury. And everybody's memory is different. It's like, I don't have a great memory. Like my friend, like Deb Deb will say things that are like, remember when this happened like Oh, shit, yeah. Like or I'll just be like, no. I remember that Yeah my brain, my memory is just like weird. I remember weird shit. I don't remember good shit. And it's like that so you just can't Be sure. and But in the end, Chief State's attorney Richard Cullin Jello looked at the potential battle of a new trial and determined that retrying Michael Skakel simply wasn't a good use of the state's resources. I hate when they say that.ike I get what they're saying, but I'm just how it sounds He said, I believe the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore the state is going to enter a null proross, which means to be unwilling to pursue Once it was formally entered in twenty twenty one, the Noel Ps resulted in a discharge of the murder charge against Michael Skgel So he was never necessarily proven innocent. They were just like, we think you did this, but we can't prove it. Basically, we just don't think we can prove you guilty again It's almost like what happened with the West Memphis three. I know that's like a whole different process, but like a little that's more We're not saying what it's like basically They can't They just say that they did it in the state will let them go and that means they can't sue the state Oh that's what it means with the West Mpise. that's a little different. That's an Alfred ple. Yeah This is them being like, We just don't think putting resources to retrying you will get us the conviction, but we still think you did it. But like And I don't know, I don't even know if it's necessily you do that. I think it's just like, We don't think we just can't prove. We're not going to put the resources forward because we don't think we could get a conviction again So you will be. that's really c Um So although So he was a free man once again. Okay. Although it is possible that Sgel could be charged again and taken to trial. That is a thing In the absence of the, you know, any new compelling evidence of his guilt, it seems pretty unlikely because nothing has come out Since then that points to him. Yeah Regardless of the prosecutor's decision Dorothy Sakel remained convinced That they got it read the first time. Yeah. While she was disappointed with the outcome, she told reporters she was, quote, satisfied with the efforts of police and prosecutors. All right. So like Dan at least she had that very impressive outlook. Yeah, she did But sadly, on december twenty fourth, Christmas Eve, twenty twenty four, Dorothy Moxley died at her home in New Jersey at the age of ninety two. Wow. But from complications of the flu. Oh, that's awful. Now technically, Martha Moxley's murder remains unsolved to this day and is currently. inactive It should be active. Which makes me crazy. It should be active. Because regardless that's like A sixteen year old girl was murdered. The facts of the case, I am not giving my personal opinion on this The facts of the case are Michael Skakel was convicted of the murder. He was granted a new trial and they chose not to pursue it So he was freed. That's just the facts of the case. Yeah. I don't know Again, no more compelling evidence has come forward to that we know of or that has been released, let's say or come public to say that he did it or that anyone else did it. And that's what's really frustrating because it's like we don't have anything else. There's nothing else we can dig into. They need to review that evidence. I need to at back on again Did fingerprinting ever fucking happen on that thing? I don't know. 'ause also the golf club broke So I don't know if it was hing who knows if they have both parts? Yeah, I don't know I don't know exactly what parts they were able to like or what the parts what kind of conditition they in or She was discovered