Dead Certain, from NBC News Studios, is an immersive saga about a shocking crime that has haunted a wealthy Connecticut town — and a family with ties to the Kennedys — for half a century
On October 30, 2025, it will be 50 years since the horrific murder of Martha Moxley15 years old, in the ultra-rich enclave of Belle Havenin Greenwich, Connecticut. The next morning, she was found lying under a pine tree in her backyard, having been repeatedly hit with a golf club — and stabbed with a broken piece of it — following a night of pre-Halloween mischief with neighborhood friends. His pants and underwear had been pulled down, although police found no evidence of sexual assault. The brutal crime shook the city, where this type of violence was practically unheard of.
It would take 27 years until Michael Skakelchildhood neighbor of Martha and clan relative Kennedywas convicted of the crime — a verdict overturned in 2018, deepening the macabre mystery that continues to fascinate the public with the gruesome details of the murder and the influential families involved. Now, half a century after the death of Moxleyan explosive new podcast from NBC News Studios and the Highly Replaceable Productions questions every conclusion that authorities, Greenwich residents, journalists and true crime fans have drawn about what really happened on that cold October night in 1975.
Over the course of more than a dozen mesmerizing episodes of Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murderveteran journalist Andrew Goldman unravels the narrative from the beginning, with unprecedented access to a vast archive of case materials and candid testimonies from people close to the families Moxley and Skakel — including, for the first time, revealing interviews with the man himself Michael. THE Rolling Stone has the exclusive trailer, which offers a glimpse into this sweeping story about a quiet community turned inside out and put under the microscope.
It took more than ten years for Dead Certain came to life — and this is reflected in the depth of the investigation of Goldman. He had to deal with fading memories from certain sources and the absence of many characters who had already died since the case. Moxley captured national attention. It was not an easy task. “There were incredibly low moments when I thought I couldn’t continue,” he says. Goldman. “It feels a bit like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.”
Right at the beginning of the series, Goldman explains that, like many others, he always believed in the guilt of Michael Skakel for the brutal murder of Moxley (hence the title of the podcast). Born in Connecticut and intrigued by the stories surrounding the so-called “Kennedy Curse”, he always maintained a personal interest in the case — and began his own investigation after being hired, in 2015, by his cousin. Skakel, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.to write a book arguing that Michael had been unfairly accused. When Goldman finally sat down with the man who spent more than ten years behind bars for the infamous Greenwich murder, the conversation was nothing like he expected after so many articles and television reports that portrayed him as the arrogant and bloodthirsty heir of a powerful family.
“I discovered that Michael was very different from the character portrayed by the media”, he says. Goldman. “He’s funny, a little eccentric. And, deep down, a little wounded. But he’s someone who, I think, always desperately wanted to tell his story — and who ended up being a little distrustful of the press, so it took a long time to earn their trust. He’s one of the most authentic and honest people I’ve ever worked with — honest to a fault. And I think that honesty also plays a role in the story.” Goldman adds that listeners of Dead Certain will hear how your relationship with Skakel evolved over the course of the interviews — “and how my feelings about him changed, mostly for the better, sometimes for the worse.”
In the first episodes of the podcast, Goldman recalls how the local police investigation into the murder of Moxley was thwarted at every turn, with one theory after another failing to pinpoint a viable suspect. In time, two teenage brothers who lived nearby— Thomas and Michael Skakel — were considered possible culprits, in part because the golf club used as a weapon belonged to a family set, and Thomas had been the last to see it. Moxley with life. The brothers’ involvement Skakel made the case even more sensational, since they were nephews of Ethel Skakel Kennedywidow of the senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Still, the case went cold for years and was only reopened in the 1990s, after another scandal involving the Kennedy and two books linked to figures from the trial of OJ Simpson. One of them, published in 1993 by Dominick Dunnecrime writer from Vanity Fairwas a fictionalized version of the murder of Moxleyand the other, launched in 1998 by former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrmanpainted Michael as the likely killer—based on materials from a private investigation commissioned by Rushton Skakelthe brothers’ father, who pointed out contradictions in his children’s statements about the night of the crime. (Interviews with Fuhrman also appear prominently in Dead Certain.)
A new police investigation, started in 1998, led to the formal accusation of Michael Skakel in 2000. He was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison following a trial in which two former classmates from an abusive boarding school in Maine testified that he had confessed to the murder. (One of them even stated that Michael said, “I’m going to get away with murder. I’m a Kennedy.”) A long appeals process followed, until the new defense team Skakel convinced a judge in 2013 that his original lawyer had been ineffective — a decision that allowed him to be released on bail and granted a new trial. After further legal wrangling, the state finally dropped the case in 2020, deciding not to prosecute Skakel again.
The advantage of Goldman in relation to commentators like Fuhrman and Dunnehe explains, is that, with the condemnation of Skakel overturned, he was able to delve into “the entire case file,” including police reports, interview recordings and other evidence used by the prosecution. “In high-profile murder cases like this, writers end up limited by their sources and never get the full picture,” he says, referring to the copious—and often sensationalist—media coverage before and during the murder trial. Skakel. “I had access to much, much more information. The volume of data is so vast that I think it’s impossible for a single person to handle it all.”
“It’s impossible not to be obsessed with this story,” he says. Alexa Dannerexecutive producer of Dead Certainwhich premieres November 4, with new episodes released weekly. “Every time you discover new information, you are pulled in another direction.” She notes that, unlike most true crime sagas, “the trial is almost the midpoint of the story,” which includes “sources of interest that span five decades and multiple generations” — resulting in a multitude of paths, perplexing twists, and a frightening number of possible suspects.
While younger listeners unfamiliar with the case will be completely absorbed by the countless clues and the frustration of no clear resolution, those who remember the events will find their impressions challenged—especially regarding Skakel. Although often portrayed by the press as a spoiled rich young man, Goldman manages to humanize him, presenting him as someone who survived a difficult childhood, addiction, and institutional abuse before being accused of a crime he continues to maintain he didn’t commit.
Whether or not you believe in your innocence depends, of course, on each person’s point of view — and Dead Certain debate intensely with the unknowable, questioning to what extent we are really capable of reaching the truth. Goldman studied the murder of Moxley with an intensity rarely matched — and yet he admits he’s not sure what really happened in 1975.
“This story still keeps me up at night,” he says. Goldman. “After ten years of working on it, I still change my mind about certain things.”
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Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder
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Martha Moxley
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
