If Ted Kennedy confessed ALL of his sins and asked for forgiveness merely because he knew he was hours from death, his confession and request would be as phony as his taking of communion when he knew damned well he was working day and night to destroy the Catholic faith and to ensure that as many babies as possible went to their graves before they had a chance to take their first breath.
IMHO if Ted Kennedy decided to make a confession on his death bed, that confession fell on deaf ears because it was not a conversion of the heart, but a conversion of the lips.
If he were a Muslim and turned to Christ at the last second, he would most likely end up in Heaven. But Ted Kennedy claimed to be a good Catholic his whole life, yet he lived a life that only a hedonistic atheist could take pride in.
He's in God's hands now. If God is just, he is rotting in Hell. But God is merciful to the merciful. Only god knows if he is going to grant him the mercy he denied to 50 million babies; an entire generation of American children, a number matched only by the genocide of Nazi Germany and Stalinst Russia.
I agree with what you are saying. However, I do believe that it is POSSIBLE that the death of Eunice and the knowledge of her years of prayer for him could have resulted in a true conversion of the heart.