A court in Connecticut has ordered a retrial of the 2002 murder conviction of Michael Skakel, a cousin of Bobby Kennedy.
The ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court is the latest chapter in the long-running legal battle centred on the murder of Martha Moxley in 1975 in Greenwich, a prosperous town just north of New York City.
Miss Moxley was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a golf club by Skakel when she spurned his advances. At the time both were 15 years old.
It took more than a quarter of a century for the case to be brought to court.
The Kennedy link, Skakel was a nephew of Bobby Kennedy’s widow, Ethel, drew international attention to the trial.
In 2002 Skakel was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
However, the conviction was overturned in 2013 and he was freed on $1.2 million bail.
But that ruling was reversed by the Connecticut Supreme Court which reinstated the conviction.
AP
In the latest hearing Hubert Santos, Skakel’s lawyer told the court that the prosecution had failed to present evidence of an alibi put forward by a witness, Denis Ossorio.
Skakel maintained that he was several miles away from the scene of the murder, watching a Monty Python film.
Justice Richard Palmer, one of the judges who voted in favour of a retrial, said the case had been prejudiced by the failure to present Mr Ossorio’s testimony.
Miss Moxley’s brother, John, said he was disappointed with the ruling and that it was too soon to say what the family would want next in the case.
"I don’t know what the next steps are. My mom is getting older. I just don’t think she has the strength to go with this," said Mr Moxley, 59.
He said he would not trade places with Skakel for anything.
"He’ll be in jail for the rest of his life," Moxley said. "He may not be physically in jail. He may be walking the streets, but he’ll be in hell at some point."
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