Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder: A Reporter and a Detective's 20-Year Search for Justice

by Leonard Levitt

On October 30, 1975, fifteen-year-old Martha Moxley headed home from Halloween Eve antics with her Greenwich, Connecticut, neighbors Tommy and Michael Skakel. She never made it. Her brutal murder with a golf club in her own backyard made national headlines. But for years no one was arrested, despite troubling clues pointing to the Skakels, a rich and powerful family related to the Kennedys. After the police department's first unsuccessful attempts to catch the killer, the case lay dormant, and the culprit remained free. Enter Leonard Levitt. In 1982, the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time newspapers asked investigative reporter Levitt to look into the murder and the undying rumors of a cover-up. Levitt soon uncovered groundbreaking information about how the police had bungled the investigation, and he learned that Tommy and Michael had lied about their activities on the night of the murder. But Levitt's articles about his findings -- and the haunting questions they raised -- almost never saw the light of day. For years, Levitt's superiors mysteriously refused to publish the stories. Convinced that the Moxley family deserved the peace and closure they had so long been denied, Levitt fought desperately to keep his discoveries alive. Finally, after Levitt's first article appeared, the case was reopened. Enter Frank Garr. As the newly appointed investigator on the Moxley case, the seasoned Greenwich detective doggedly pursued unexplored leads and became increasingly convinced that for over a decade, his colleagues had been pursuing the wrong suspects. At first mistrustful of one another, as reporters and detectives often are, Levitt and Garr became friends, encouraging each other in their quest for the truth as the obstacles against them piled up. In 2002, more than twenty-five years after Moxley's death, a shocked world watched as Michael Skakel was convicted of the murder, thanks largely to the evidence Garr alone had marshaled against him. Now, for the first time, Leonard Levitt tells the amazing true story of Garr's fight to solve the case and of how their friendship with each other, and with Martha Moxley's mother, Dorthy, sustained them over the years. A riveting, suspenseful drama that unfolds like a mystery novel, this incredible memoir also reveals how a police officer and a reporter refused to give up, and how they helped justice to prevail, against all odds.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

305 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Leonard Levitt was born in 1941 in New York. He attended Woodmere Academy and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1963. From there he went into the Peace Corps, serving in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). He later graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism and has since written for Newsday, the Associated Press, the Detroit News, Time Magazine, and the New York Post.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
A thorough and unbiased account of the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley in Belle Haven, Greenwich, Connecticut in October 1975. Far superior to the volume published by disgraced former LAPD Detective Mark Fuhrman.
I was sorry to hear of the death of Len Levitt on 18 May 2020.

[Maryann MJS1228 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard not to feel bitter on behalf of Leonard Levitt. He scooped the competition and ripped the lid off the story, as the cliches go; and his own newspaper refused to print the story. Reading a book by someone as embittered as Levitt has the right to be would not, however, be a pleasant task. Luckily Levitt has maintained a clear view of the stakes and his own involvement: "I did not solve Martha's murder. What I did was prevent the Skakel family from getting away with it."

This is the story of uncovering the truth about the Moxley case, not just who did it but who did what along the way. I normally have little patience for the "how I wrote this book" or "how I investigated this story" sub-set of true crime. This is a well-deserved exception not simply because Levitt is a good writer but because the story of how he and Frank Garr tried to solve this case is not only part of the Moxley story it illuminates the story. The prejudices and power that hamstrung the investigation in 1975 kept it from being solved for the next 27 years.

Levitt writes the book from two points of view, his own and that of Frank Garr, the police detective who doggedly pursued the case and arguably solved it long before Dominick Dunne or Mark Fuhrman happened on the scene. Both POVs are enjoyable but Garr is allowed to react to Skakel family shenanigans with remarks like "What a bunch of lunatics" which makes his sections a bit more fun to read. It was hard to read any two sentences about life at Casa Skakel without the words "are you kidding me" forming in my mind. Imagine if the boys from Delta Thau Chi co-wrote a book on child-rearing along with NKVD mastermind Lavrenty Beria: alcohol sodden slapstick combined with staggering abuse and neglect.

The Martha Moxley case has inspired at least four books, countless magazine and newspaper articles, and multiple TV show episodes. Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder is the best of the pack*, deservedly winning an Edgar Award in 2005. A must for any serious true crime fan and highly recommended for any non-fiction reader.

*Greentown: Murder and Mystery in Greenwich, America's Wealthiest Communiity is also quite good.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gripping from beginning to end.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book at first because of the way it started. I got the book to learn more about the murder of Martha Moxley, not about Leonard Levitt. But thank goodness it didn't last very long and got into the story. I did learn a lot more than I did with Murder in Greewich which I read many years ago. There was some background stuff in this book that Mark Furman wouldn't have taken the time to dig up anyway. I wanted to follow it up with Framed to see what BS the "family" would try to pull. I'm sure it will be wild and out there. But it is buried in a pile of unread books so will have to wait. Overall a good book for those that want to learn about more details instead of the tabloid writers information.

[Amanda Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was very factual and to be honest, this was my first “real crime” book. I enjoyed it and even though it did drag on and on in some parts, I was still very hooked. I spend my days watching a bunch of different crime shows and so I sort of knew what to expect. The last part of the book seemed to drag for more than I wanted it to but I knew I had to finish it and of course, the ending wasn’t too satisfying at all. But this is true crime. This is what really happens. I enjoyed the book a lot.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars! Nothing but respect for the dynamic duo of journalist/author Len Leavitt and investigator Frank Garr. Their fortitude over the course of 25 years finally allowed justice to be served. Though I was disheartened to read what has happened since this book was published in 2005….

[Morgan Olsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like true crime you will love this book!

[Ashley Breanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out decently well, and then it just dragged on and on... and it kept going off course. I could not keep interested, and I gave up on it at about 50%.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

High drama in the prosecutors office. Drive by appearances by Mark Fuhrman and Dominick Dunne.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

High drama in the prosecutors office

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty interesting.

[Donna Starner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing read by Len Levitt that spans four decades of investigative work, as well as the lack of, in the 1975 Martha Moxley murder case.

Was the Skakel family, who were cousins to the Kennedys, really bold enough to thwart the investigation and believe they could get away with murder because of their family, money and privilege?

Were the first detectives on the case really that incompetent that they didn't execute a search warrant for clothing, golf clubs and other possible evidence or were they frightened by the power of this family?

In the end just two men had the courage and devotion to persevere and bring to justice Martha's killer. Now that killer has served 10 years of the sentence and wants to be granted parole. Does that sound like justice?

If you enjoy true crime novels with twists and turns galore this is a must read!!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner-

[Tom Kammerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping read that reminds us that power and wealth are not mutually exclusive of evil and entitlement and more importantly that hard work and a sense of justice can overcome a lot