Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder

Episode: “Martha Speaks” – January 13, 2026

Host: Andrew Goldman (NBC News Studios)
Summary Prepared For: Listeners seeking a detailed yet accessible episode overview

Main Theme & Purpose

In “Martha Speaks,” investigative journalist Andrew Goldman uses Martha Moxley’s own teenage diary—the only real chronicle of her inner world—to deeply re-examine the established narratives about the 1975 murder. The episode explores whether overlooked or reinterpreted diary entries, and reevaluated witness accounts, might provide new insight into who killed Martha in her privileged Greenwich neighborhood. Goldman unpacks the alibis, story changes, and potential motives surrounding two of the most prominent men in Martha’s orbit: Tommy Skakel (neighbor, onetime suspect) and Peter Zaluka (her boyfriend).

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Privacy of Martha’s Diary (01:32–04:04)

• Goldman introduces Martha’s diary as voiced by an actor, noting its emotional weight and ethical complexity.
• Diaries were a secret, sacred refuge for teen girls—a “non-judgmental mother confessor.”
• Reading Martha’s private adolescence is “a touch uncomfortable” (Andrew Goldman, 01:59), but necessary to provide her a voice and expose overlooked details vital to the murder investigation.

2. Martha’s Social Circle & Skakel Connections (05:25–08:06)

• Martha’s fall 1975 diary entries detail her growing involvement with the Skakel siblings:
  • “The usual in the mobile home” = drinking and smoking in the Skakels’ driveway.
  • Jackie, Mooge (best friend Margie Walker), recounted as key companions.
• Tommy Skakel, older than Martha, was “needed as a driver,” with access to the family’s “Love Mobile.”
  • Tommy is described as “a little volatile… crazy… used swear words none of us had heard before” (Margie Walker, 06:13).
  • Michael and Jackie were nudged as an encouraged couple, but “can’t say they were really romantic.”

3. Mischief Night Timeline and Alibi Breakdown (08:06–12:41)

• On the night of Martha's murder, flirtation with Tommy was observed just before Martha vanished.
• Tommy’s police interviews:
  • Claimed to see Martha leave toward her home at 9:30; went upstairs for “homework.”
  • This “homework” alibi unraveled when checked with his teacher—no Lincoln report due (10:20).
• Neighborhood dogs began barking at 9:50pm; Dorothy Moxley later heard voices outside around 10pm—likely the murder window.
• Skakel tutor Ken Littleton reported Tommy was not in his bedroom at 9:45, later reappearing at 10:15 to watch a movie.

4. Initial Investigation & Questionable Clearance of Tommy (11:45–13:28)

• Martha’s diary described increasing flirtation and some sexual tension with Tommy.
• Tommy consistently passed polygraphs, maintained calm under intensive questioning, and, after two weeks in a psychiatric ward—where he was even administered “truth serum”—stuck to his story: never saw Martha again after 9:30.

5. Tommy Skakel’s Changed Story—The Sutton Investigation Bombshell (17:44–26:39)

• In the early 1990s, the Skakel family’s private detectives (Sutton Associates) re-interviewed Tommy. Under pressure, he finally admitted a very different sequence:
  • Claimed a 20-minute sexual encounter with Martha on the lawn, ending around 9:50pm—near the murder time.
  • “They began an extended 20 minute kissing and fondling session, which... culminated in orgasm… Martha says goodnight” (21:05).
• Tommy’s story change was theorized by some (incl. Jim Murphy) as pre-emptive cover if his DNA ever turned up via new forensic tech (22:52).
• Others (Len Levitt) speculated the change was to avoid admitting sexual activity to his ultraconservative father, not police.
• After this confession, Tommy’s lawyer cut off further interviews. The story eventually leaked, shifting public and police suspicion back onto Tommy.

“Suddenly was with Martha that evening. Hadn't told the police about it...to be more in line with...a sexual encounter.”
— Manny Margolis (Tommy’s lawyer), 21:47

6. Forensics, Timeline Flaws, and Family Dynamics (26:39–37:28)

• Despite new suspicion, Tommy maintained he never killed Martha, and there was no physical evidence tying him to the crime.

• The murder’s timeline remains problematic for theories involving Tommy due to his presence in the house for a prolonged movie viewing soon after.

• Notably, even estranged brother Michael Skakel never accused Tommy:

  “Honestly, I didn't think my brother Tommy did it. I just don't...for some reason, I don't think so.”
  — Michael Skakel, 39:10

• The Skakel siblings displayed remarkable lack of communication about Martha’s death:

  “How can you go so many years and never ask your brother what happened, details about the evening?”
  — Margie Walker, 40:32

7. Martha’s Relationship with Peter Zaluka: Motive for Jealousy? (44:14–50:18)

• Martha’s summer-fall 1975 romance with Peter Zaluka grew sour, marked by moodiness and verbal abuse.
• He sometimes insulted her; their relationship was tumultuous and, at times, reportedly violent or mean (46:48–47:09).
• On the night of the murder, Peter, then Martha’s boyfriend, claimed a tight alibi—home with his mother, who vouched for him.
• However, details in his alibi interviews changed over the years; his mother was never separated from him during police questioning.

8. Diary Clues: The Peter Theft & Possible Motive (54:20–56:47)

• Weeks before the murder, Peter stole Martha’s diary (or attempted to), possibly glimpsing entries about flirting with other boys:

  “As you’ve probably noticed, you are a little mutilated because Peter…tried to read you...I could have killed him.”
  — Martha’s diary entry, 54:39

• Hypothetical: What if Peter, jealous or humiliated, witnessed Martha’s intimacy with Tommy and attacked her in a rage?

• Law enforcement never closely scrutinized Peter, accepting his mother’s account as definitive.

9. Aftermath: Peter and Tommy’s Later Lives & Lingering Uncertainty (59:17–61:36)

• Peter Zaluka’s life unraveled after Martha’s death: legal troubles, substance abuse, early death at 51.
• His sister ultimately claimed, “he did not kill Martha,” but acknowledged the murder’s profound effect on him.

10. Lack of Physical Evidence—the Unsolved Mystery (61:36–62:59)

• No forensic evidence connects Tommy or Peter to Martha’s murder.
• A few ambiguous clues exist (unidentified hairs, a Belhaven maid’s report of blood in a house), with promises of further revelations in the final episode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• On reading Martha’s diary:
  “At 53, do I feel a touch uncomfortable reading the multicolored, loopy scrawls of a 15-year-old girl’s diary? I do. But...if I am violating her privacy, I’m far from the first to do so.”
  — Andrew Goldman, [01:59]

• On Tommy’s social standing & behavior:
  “He seemed like a little volatile...and he would use swear words that none of us had heard before.”
  — Margie Walker, [06:13]

  “He kept putting his hand on my knee...He kept doing stuff like that.”
  — Martha’s diary, [07:36]

• Tommy’s lie about the alibi school assignment:
  “He said he was doing a report on Abraham Lincoln and the log Cabin. ...there was no such report due.”
  — Greenwich Detective Steve Carroll, [10:20]

• Changing stories under pressure:
  “[Tommy] changed his story and began to cry during the interview. Right. But there’s a lot of questioning that has to take place about that itself.”
  — Jim Murphy (Sutton investigator), [25:33]

• Sibling dynamics:
  “How can you go so many years and never ask your brother what happened...?”
  — Margie Walker, [40:32]

• On Peter Zaluka’s relationship and possible motive:
  “Jesus. If Peter ever found out, I would be dead.”
  — Martha’s diary, [42:07]

• On Peter’s theft of the diary:
  “Peter...tried to read you. They took you all the way over to the Wet and Halls and almost, but didn’t quite, read you. I could have killed him.”
  — Martha’s diary, [54:39]

• Expert speculation:
  “What if [Peter] had seen Martha with Tommy and got angry? ...this could be a crime of anger, because this was definitely overkill.”
  — Linda Kenney Baden, [56:38]

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:32] – Introduction to Martha’s diary, emotional implications
• [05:25] – Entry: Martha visits Skakel house, introduces social circle
• [06:13] – Margie Walker recounts characterization of Michael and Tommy Skakel
• [09:19] – The last time Martha is seen alive
• [10:20] – Detective Steve Carroll uncovers Tommy’s false “homework” alibi
• [17:44] – Tommy’s changed story during the Sutton investigation
• [21:05] – Sutton report details Tommy–Martha sexual encounter
• [39:08] – Michael Skakel’s unequivocal statement that he never suspected Tommy
• [40:32] – Margie Walker reflects on Skakel sibling silence
• [54:39] – Martha describes Peter’s theft of her diary

Conclusion and Forward Tease

The episode closes with a reminder that despite decades of investigation and ever-shifting suspicions, the Martha Moxley murder is still unsolved—haunted by a lack of forensic evidence, changing stories, and the limitations of memory and motive. Goldman promises that in the final episode, listeners will hear about the mysterious blood found by a Belhaven maid—perhaps “finally” shedding new light on Greenwich’s most infamous cold case.

For listeners: This episode probes the reliability of alibis and memories, explores the sometimes-overlooked motives of those closest to Martha, and uses the words of a lost girl to restore complexity and humanness to a story often dominated by scandal and suspicion. For all its dead ends and contradictions, Martha’s voice—finally centered—compels us to keep searching for the truth.