27 Grounds Are Cited in Skakel Case Appeal

Lawyers for Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel appealed his murder conviction, citing more than two dozen grounds to overturn the verdict.

Skakel was convicted in June of beating Martha Moxley to death in 1975, when they were 15-year-old neighbors in Greenwich. He was sentenced last month to 20 years to life in prison.

The appeal, filed in Hartford, cited 26 issues, plus a catchall 27th issue that left open the door for additional arguments. It did not appear to raise any arguments that had not been put forth earlier, most of which were rejected by the trial judge.

The defense lawyers’ arguments included that prosecutors did not notify them of information that could have helped the defense and that the case should have been dismissed because of the statute of limitations.