Michael Skakel Arraigned

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/14/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's nephew, Michael Skakel, was arraigned in a Stamford, Conn., courtroom today on a murder charge that dates back to 1975. Skakel's court appearance took all of four minutes, during which Skakel, who is now 39, was read his rights. He was arraigned as a juvenile because, at the time of the murder, he was 15 -- as was the victim, Martha Moxley. Moxley was a neighbor of the Skakel family who was found on her parent's Greenwich, Conn., property, bludgeoned to death with a golf club. After his arraignment, Skakel approached Dorthy Moxley, the mother of the victim, and told her, "I feel your pain, but you've got the wrong guy." John Moxley, Martha's brother, told the Associated Press that he told Skakel, "We'll find out in court." Skakel's defense lawyer, Michael Sherman, said the remark to Mrs. Moxley was unrehearsed and that his client "truly meant that." With the case in juvenile court, Skakel is entitled to a "reasonable cause" hearing -- which means that prosecutors must prove that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the case. That hearing is slated for June 20.