Podcast Summary: Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder

Episode: Known Unknowns

Host: Andrew Goldman (NBC News Studios)
Release Date: January 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In the finale of the series, host Andrew Goldman draws together decades of investigation, family agony, legal spectacle, and personal doubt around the unsolved 1975 murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley. Using new revelations, interviews, and reflective analysis, Goldman emphasizes the enduring uncertainty in the case, the blind spots in police investigation, the trauma inflicted on families and suspects alike, and the complicated quest for closure. The episode delivers no solved mystery but examines the ramifications of living with doubt—and the realities of wrongful accusation—by drawing parallels to Amanda Knox’s high-profile case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Mystery and Uncertainty

• Host’s Perspective: Goldman reflects on the limitations of journalism versus detective work. He has theories, but the truth remains elusive. "Uncertainty defines this case. Fifty years in, there are still chapters, untold threads unexamined..." (03:11)
• Recap of the Season: Listeners are reminded that each episode walked through the night of the murder, the case’s aftermath, and lives torn apart.

2. Untapped Investigative Leads: Blood in the Moxley House

• Introduction of a major missed clue: housemaid Teresa Tirado’s report of finding blood smears in the Moxley house the morning after Martha disappeared.
  • Tirado described "smears of blood, as if from three fingers" in the TV room (09:15). She wiped them away, not knowing Martha was missing.
  • Police never thoroughly investigated the TV room or re-interviewed those present. No follow-up with Tirado or Jon Moxley’s friend John Harvey.
  • Defense attorney Linda Kenny Baden reflects that no one wanted to seem like they were pinning it on Jon Moxley:
    "Everyone was scared of saying, well, you're going to be saying that John Moxley killed his sister. No, I'm not... Maybe it was nothing, but somebody should talk to her and see what she found." (11:31)
  • Tirado passed away in 2012, closing that avenue forever.

3. The Jon Moxley Angle

• Sutton investigative team in early 1990s examined inconsistencies in Jon Moxley’s statements:
  • Jon’s unusual search for Martha the morning after her disappearance, including a search behind a brush pile where her body was later found in clear sight. Sutton noted: "it borders on the incredible that he never noticed Martha's body lying only yards away..." (19:12)
  • Some friends recall Jon as intense or frightening, capable of violence, but no direct evidence links him to the crime.
  • Both John and Dorothy Moxley (Martha’s brother and mother) have always publicly insisted the killer came from the Skakel house.*

4. Overlooked Suspects and the Skakel Orbit

• Other potential suspects: Ken Littleton (tutor, hounded by police but never charged), and Frank Wittin (the Skakels' groundskeeper), noted for his proximity, suspicious behavior, and inconsistent statements about crucial evidence (like the golf clubs used in the murder).

  • Wittin was reported as "kind of a scary guy" by Julie Skakel, and several girls recalled inappropriate or disturbing encounters.
  • He passed a polygraph in 1991; investigators moved on.

• The host observes that Greenwich was "lousy with potential perps" (22:55), emphasizing that much of the evidence deemed suspicious for Michael Skakel could have applied to others.

5. Forensic Dead Ends & the Limits of Evidence

• For decades, a lack of forensic evidence stymied the investigation. The main physical evidence (DNA swabs from Martha’s autopsy) was missing for years, then finally DNA-tested in 2018.
  • The result: Only Martha’s DNA present; another dead end (43:03).
  • Attorney Linda Kenny Baden: "They were lost." (referring to the swabs and slides) (43:03)
• The prosecution ultimately declined to retry Michael Skakel; too many witnesses had died and the evidence couldn't support a conviction.

6. The Michael Skakel Dilemma: Guilt, Innocence & Reasonable Doubt

• Much of the episode examines Michael Skakel’s unusual alibi—his much-discussed claim that he was in a tree masturbating near the scene—and public skepticism.

  • Goldman describes his own doubts, fueled by Michael’s statements and the unusual suggestion from Michael to his psychiatrist that, perhaps in a drunken state, he could have killed Martha and not remembered.
  • "Michael himself had at one point wondered if he'd killed Martha. I confronted Michael about it... But no, it was absolutely true." (48:15)
  • Michael underwent sodium pentothal (“truth serum”), emerged reassured of his innocence—but the host expresses unease, noting the limits of such tests and the power of self-doubt.

• Questionable alibi witnesses (notably, Dennis Osorio) undermined some of Michael’s defense.

  • Goldman’s research cast doubt, as Osorio mistakenly placed Tommy at an alibi location he never visited (51:30).

• Ultimately, Goldman finds no evidence that stands up to the standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt,” for Michael or anyone else.

7. The Toll on All Involved and the Single Victim Fallacy

• Amanda Knox Interview (59:06):
  Brings in someone who lived through a wrongful accusation and draws connections between the media’s power, public opinion, and the stubbornness of “closure.”

  • Knox: "There's an original victim, an original crime, but then a different wrong thing happens... and it leads to other victims arising." (61:45)
  • "It's more that they're guilty until proven innocent, not they're innocent until proven guilty." (62:13)

• The “single victim fallacy”: raising questions about a possibly wrongful conviction is seen as disrespecting the original victim.

  • Knox: "I'm glad that you're free... but can you be a little bit less visible? Because... your very being is an offense to [the victim's] memory." (63:25)

8. Enduring Grief: The Moxley Family

• John Moxley: "It's something that we'll live with every day of our life. It's part of who we are and what we are." (64:56)
• The loss consumed the family: David Moxley died young, possibly from the heartbreak.

9. Goldman’s Closing Reflections

• No closure, but a plea for higher standards: for justice, evidence, and empathy both for the original victim and for those wrongly accused.
• The story has become Goldman’s "life’s work," and he acknowledges he did not solve Martha's murder—yet hopes the series might prompt someone, somewhere, to come forward or reexamine the case.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Uncertainty defines this case. Fifty years in, there are still chapters, untold threads unexamined..." – Andrew Goldman (03:11)
• "Everyone was scared of saying, well, you're going to be saying that John Moxley killed his sister. No, I'm not... Maybe it was nothing, but somebody should talk to her and see what she found." – Linda Kenny Baden (11:31)
• "How the hell did they miss her? How the hell did I find her? She was not tucked under. ... I did not have to look for her. She was there." – Sheila McGuire (19:38)
• "If Jon Moxley was making even a mildly concerted effort at looking around the property for his sister, it borders on the incredible that he never noticed Martha's body lying only yards away..." – Sutton report cited by Andrew Goldman (19:12)
• "The amount of evidence they had against Michael, I mean, could apply for anybody. The point is they pick[t] Michael out of all these people." – Linda Kenny Baden (22:29)
• "I think the fact that he couldn't solve this thing ... broke his heart." – John McCrate on David Moxley’s death (65:15)
• "I've heard a woman at [an AA] meeting recently say, 'Oh, you're from Connecticut? Where are you from?' I say, 'Greenwich.' She said, 'Oh, that's where that damn Michael Skakel's from.' So I hear that regularly... I just want this to be gone." – Michael Skakel (58:30)
• "Being Michael Skakel has been a blessing and a curse. ... People only know what they know. ... Most of it's just been bold face lies." – Michael Skakel (67:45)
• "There'll be no satisfaction. There'll be no closure. It's something that we'll live with every day of our life. It's part of who we are and what we are." – John Moxley (64:56)
• "Ultimately, I didn't uncover the identity of Martha's killer, and I'm not particularly optimistic that anyone ever will. But who knows? Hope springs eternal." – Andrew Goldman (68:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Case and the Problem of Closure: 01:02–03:11
• Teresa Tirado’s Blood Sighting: 03:12–10:55
• Interview with Linda Kenny Baden on Tirado blood evidence: 10:55–11:48
• Sutton Investigation into Jon Moxley: 11:49–20:26
• Sheila McGuire on finding Martha’s body: 19:38
• Sutton’s doubts about Jon Moxley: 20:26–23:02
• Reflections from John and Dorothy Moxley on Skakel suspicion: 25:00–25:38
• Ken Littleton and Skakel household suspects: 27:51–35:14
• Discussion of Frank Wittin, the handyman: 30:41–35:14
• Prosecutorial Blind Spots and “The Unknown” Theory: 39:47–40:35
• DNA Testing and Final Forensic Evaluation: 42:00–43:10
• Michael Skakel’s Issues with Alibi and Guilt: 47:00–56:44
• Amanda Knox Interview and the Single Victim Fallacy: 59:06–64:02
• The Pain of Grief for Moxley Family: 64:02–67:12
• Final Reflections and Farewell: 67:45–end

Takeaway

Despite years of investigation, high-profile trials, and media spectacles, Martha Moxley's murder remains unsolved—and perhaps unsolvable. The finale rejects facile answers in favor of a nuanced meditation on doubt, confirmation bias, and unforeseen consequences for both victims and the accused. Listeners leave with a deeper understanding not only of the case, but of its tragic gravity—and the ripple effects of both violence and suspicion.

For more information and full credits, visit [NBC News Studios/Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder].