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Skakel case goes to the jury

Deliberations begin Tuesday

Michael Skakel, right, arrives at the courthouse Monday with his attorney, Mickey Sherman.

NORWALK, Connecticut (CNN) -- Jurors will begin deliberations Tuesday in the murder trial of Michael Skakel after hearing the prosecution argue Monday that he has escaped justice for 26 years thanks to a Skakel family conspiracy.

Prosecutor Jonathan Benedict said the conspiracy kept Skakel away from suspicion in the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, even during the years when his brother Tommy was a key suspect.

Defense attorneys countered that no physical evidence exists linking Skakel to Moxley's death.

Moxley, 15, was beaten to death with a golf club outside her Greenwich home on the night before Halloween, October 30, 1975. The golf club matched a set owned by the Skakels, though its monogrammed handle has never been found.

Skakel is a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, attorney general during the presidency of his brother John F. Kennedy and later a U.S. senator from New York.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO Jurors will begin deliberations in the trial of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel accused of killing Martha Moxley in 1975. CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports (June 4) Play video   EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Michael Skakel trial    RESOURCES • Gallery: People in the News  • Court TV.com: Kennedy cousin on trial  • Read Martha Moxley's diary      LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes

The prosecution and the defense team wrapped up their closing arguments by midafternoon. The judge then gave jurors their instructions.

In his closing, Benedict said jealousy motivated Skakel to kill Moxley, who was last seen flirting with Tommy Skakel in the Skakel driveway.

He pointed to Skakel's frequent admissions over the years that he had been near the place where the crime occurred on the night of Moxley's death, he said.

Benedict called into question the alibi Skakel's defense presented -- that Skakel was at his cousin's house, miles away, at the time that his lawyers believe Moxley was killed.

Skakel's siblings claimed they could not remember much else about the night, except for Skakel's alibi, prompting Benedict to say, "They feigned a lack of recall because in their actual recall lies the truth."

Skakel, he said, remained at home long after his cousin and brothers left in the family car.

"No independent witness can say what happened after the Lincoln left the driveway," Benedict added.

Defense attorney Mickey Sherman zeroed in on the apparent weaknesses of the state's case against Skakel.

"They have no physical evidence. They have no forensic evidence. They have [a] sketchy motive. They have several 'I Love Lucy' wannabes," said Sherman, saying prosecution witnesses were motivated by a desire to be in the spotlight.

Martha Moxley

Sherman also highlighted previous testimony that showed the extent to which investigators had earlier pursued Tommy Skakel and former Skakel tutor Ken Littleton as suspects.

If convicted, Skakel, 41, could be sentenced to anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.

The victim's mother, Dorthy Moxley, told reporters Monday afternoon that she was happy with the prosecution's case.

"I feel very good, and I have a smile on my face. What else can I say?" she said.