Attorney: Skakel’s bid for a new trial is denied (Kennedys are sad)

AP/MSNBC ^ | 10-25-07

[STARWISE]

A judge denied Michael Skakel’s bid for a new trial Thursday, rejecting the latest startling claim that two other men committed a 1975 killing that sent the Kennedy cousin to prison, his attorney said.

Stamford Superior Court Judge Edward R. Karazin Jr. ruled against Skakel based on a week of testimony in April. The ruling was to be released at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Attorney Hope Seeley said she was extremely disappointed, citing the quality of the evidence.

“We believe Michael Skakel was wrongly convicted, and we will continue to pursue every legal avenue available to us,” Seeley said.

Those avenues include arguing that Skakel was ineffectively represented by his trial attorney, Michael “Mickey” Sherman.

Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, is serving 20 years to life in prison after he was convicted in 2002 of fatally beating his 15-year-old neighbor Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975 with a golf club.

To win a new trial, Skakel’s attorneys had to prove that new evidence not available before his conviction could have changed the verdict.

'State is grateful'

Prosecutor Susann Gill said she was pleased with the judge’s decision.

“The state is grateful to see that the judge didn’t find anything in the petition that undermined the reliability of the jury’s verdict,” she said.

Skakel sought a new trial based on Gitano “Tony” Bryant’s claim that his two friends told him they got Moxley “caveman style.”

[STARWISE]

Poor lib lawyer .. Mickey Sherman. He and his wife, Lis Wiehl, must be so unhappy. (With their friend, that brilliant author, Rita Cosby.)

[rwgal]

You ever notice how Kennedy’a are never guilty of murder....IE..Teddy also.

Meadow Muffin

[rockabyebaby]

I am outraged that Skakel can't get another trial, how DARE THEY, how dare a kennedy cousin have to serve time for a murder he was convicted of, this is an outrage I tell ya..

[KevinB]

You ever notice how Kennedy’a are never guilty of murder....IE..Teddy also.

I don't disagree with your premise, but Skakel is not a Kennedy. He is related to the Kennedys only by marriage, his father being the brother of Ethel.

[Schichtel]

JUSTICE IS SWEET

[rwgal]

Well, the sewage line runs deep on that side of the family I am sure.

Meadow Muffin

[Tijeras_Slim]

There’s way too many teeth in that picture.

[STARWISE]

Well, Michael Skakel escaped that
pleasure .. he’s in jail.

“Skakel is serving 20 years to life in prison after he was convicted in 2002 of fatally beating his 15-year-old neighbor Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975 with a golf club.”

http://www.nbc30.com/news/14421797/detail.html?rss=har&psp=news

Court TV ~ Michael Skakel Trial

http://www.courttv.com/trials/moxley/

[Abathar]

"Skakel sought a new trial based on Gitano “Tony” Bryant’s claim that his two friends told him they got Moxley “caveman style.”"

Yeah, we believe anyone with a hyphenated "middle" name who hangs around friends claiming to commit murder "caveman style"...

[jeddavis]

The basic nature of the "Kennedy Curse" is this: It is a terribly short step from thinking oneself to be above man's laws, to thinking oneself to be above things like the law of averages, the laws of physics, the law of diminishing returns and things of that nature.

For instance, both Manfred Von Richthofen and Hans Rudel noted that flying in low visibility scared them positively ****less. JFK Jr. apparently figured the ocean knew who he was and that he had nothing to fear in flying out over the ocean at night without instruments.

[STARWISE]

From the article link

“We believe Michael Skakel was wrongly convicted, and we will continue to pursue every legal avenue available to us,” Seeley said.

Those avenues include arguing that Skakel was ineffectively represented by his trial attorney, Michael “Mickey” Sherman.”

[KevinB]

Well, the sewage line runs deep on that side of the family I am sure.

Yes, very deep. If you're interested in finding out how deep you should read Dominick Dunne's book on the Moxley murder. It's a fascinating read.

[OCC]

Let me be the first to say

[rednesss]

"Poor lib lawyer .. Mickey Sherman. He and his wife, Lis Wiehl, must be so unhappy. (With their friend, that brilliant author, Rita Cosby.)"

Well I can add that as one more reason I can't stand Lis Wiehl. She seems like the kind of person who could feed you into a wood chipper and never loose that overly-lip-glossed fake smile of hers.

[SJSAMPLE]

Dunne’s good for the Hollywood-type stuff, but Skakel would be walking free today if not for one man ..

Mark Fuhrman.

Fuhrman did the leg work that made the Skakel case stick.

[CholeraJoe]

Notice how Rita is turned sideways so the picture won’t show what a PORKER she is?

[Mr. Lucky]

Insightful.

[Cicero]

Even with the great work of Mark Fuhrman and others, I doubt whether Skakel would have been convicted if the Kennedys as a whole hadn’t decided to write him off.

Kennedys have done a LOT of bad things, and they have always gotten off. Maybe his immediate family fought for him, but I don’t think the Kennedys who matter really pulled all the strings they could have pulled to get him off.

Skakel is one of those guys whom a rich and influential family like the Kennedys would have locked away in a Loony Bin in the old days. (Along those lines, just recall old Joe Kennedy and his use of the loony bin and lobotomy.) This way, they got Skakel out of the way, and they didn’t even have to pay for it.

[KevinB]

Dunne’s good for the Hollywood-type stuff, but Skakel would be walking free today if not for one man ..Mark Fuhrman. Fuhrman did the leg work that made the Skakel case stick.

I agree completely. So does Dunne. The book is full of praise for the work Fuhrman did.

[GOP_Proud]

Yes, very deep. If you're interested in finding out how deep you should read Dominick Dunne's book on the Moxley murder. It's a fascinating read.

Yes, it was, but Mark Furman's investigation and subsequent book put Skakel away.