Skakel Witness Denies Other Suspect Confessed

The ex-wife of a man once suspected in the 1975 killing of Martha Moxley testified outside the presence of the jury Friday that he never confessed to her, contradicting claims by the defense.

The testimony came during a hearing on a request by lawyers for Michael Skakel, who is being tried for Moxley’s murder, to introduce as evidence statements made by former Skakel family tutor Kenneth Littleton.

The defense contends that Littleton implicated himself in the slaying in those statements.

Littleton’s former wife, Mary Baker, testified that she was trying to help police when she told Littleton that he had confessed to her during a 1984 blackout.

She said he hadn’t really confessed but that investigators hoped her statement would prompt admissions from him.

“Has Ken Littleton ever made any confession to you in regards to murdering Martha Moxley?” prosecutor Jonathan Benedict asked.

“Never,” she answered.

Skakel, a 41-year-old nephew of Robert F. Kennedy’s widow, Ethel, could face life in prison if convicted of killing Moxley. They were 15-year-old neighbors in Greenwich at the time of the slaying.

Earlier Friday, a former state investigator in the case denied conspiring to have Baker lie to Littleton.

The investigator, John Solomon, said Baker told police that Littleton had made incriminating statements and they were trying to corroborate it.

“My best recollection is there were statements he made telling her he may have done it, along with many statements about descriptions of the murder and blood and things like that,” the investigator said.

Littleton testified before the jury Thursday.

His cross-examination was delayed until Judge John F. Kavanewsky Jr. decides whether the purported confessions can be used as evidence.