New Skakel trial likely to call expert to testify about Elan

[Reddit TroubledTeens]

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/RFK-Jr-could-testify-at-Skakel-trial-4408079.php

RFK Jr. could testify at Skakel trial
David Hennessey
Updated 11:51 pm, Sunday, April 7, 2013

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    In this Oct. 24, 2012 file photo, Michael Skakel listens during a parole hearing at McDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, Pool, File) Photo: Jessica Hill, Associated Press / POOL FR125654 AP
   

One of Michael Skakel's most vocal and powerful supporters and a member of the Kennedy family is one of dozens of witnesses who could testify at Skakel's upcoming habeas corpus trial, according to an updated witness list.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of more than 50 names disclosed last week on the updated list, has maintained since Skakel's 2002 murder conviction that Skakel, a Kennedy cousin, did not kill his Belle Haven neighbor Martha Moxley in 1975. Skakel is serving 20 years to life at McDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield for the crime.

The witness list -- which includes investigators in the case, members of the Skakel family and former suspects -- was filed in state Superior Court in the Rockville section of Vernon.

Also filed in that court last week was a disclosure by Hubert Santos, Skakel's attorney, indicating that Santos will call an expert to testify about Elan, the Maine school and treatment center Skakel attended in the late 1970s. Skakel allegedly confessed to Moxley's murder to classmates while at Elan. The expert is another component of Skakel's defense strategy in an attempt to prove Mickey Sherman, Skakel's former attorney, did not competently defend Skakel in 2002.

The habeas corpus trial, a legal proceeding through which a prisoner can challenge their imprisonment, is the latest attempt to win Skakel's freedom. The trial, scheduled to begin April 16 in Rockville, will focus on the ways in which Sherman allegedly fell short in his defense of the 52-year-old Skakel, thus depriving Skakel of his right to effective assistance of counsel. Skakel is the nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended Skakel's 2002 trial and testified on his cousin's behalf during a 2007 hearing.

He also published a lengthy piece in The Atlantic in 2003 titled "A Miscarriage of Justice," defending Skakel and arguing his indictment was the result of an inflamed media.

In addition to Kennedy, the latest witness list -- which has more than 10 additional names compared to a list disclosed earlier this year -- includes Skakel's brother Thomas, once a suspect in the murder, Mark Fuhrman, the former Los Angeles police detective who fingered Skakel as Moxley's killer in his 1998 book "Murder in Greenwich," Frank Garr, who worked as an investigator on the case, and Sherman.

The trial could also feature prior testimony by Tony Bryant, Adolph Hasbrouck and Burton Tinsley. Bryant implicated Hasbrouck and Tinsley in Moxley's murder in an interview with an investigator.

One of the new names disclosed in the updated witness list is Richard J. Ofshe, a California doctor and expert witness called to testify about the Elan School.

Ofshe was a member of a research group that won a Pulitzer Prize for an expose of the drug-rehabilitation program Synanon, which founded the tradition of "aggressive, residential treatment," in which Elan School partook, according to court documents.

Ofshe, who has qualified as an expert on interrogation methods in court proceedings on more than 350 occasions, has completed extensive work on the "extreme influence" organizations like Elan have on their students, according to court documents.

The Elan program was "psychologically intensive, brutalizing and physically assaultive," Ofshe states in a letter filed in court. That environment is one that jurors at the 2002 trial needed to better understand, he wrote.

"It [is] my opinion that the services of an expert on this sort of complex and unusual influence environment were necessary to educate jury members so that they could intelligently evaluate the significance of Michael Skakel's shift from repeated flat-out denials of his having any involvement in the death of Martha Moxley to his subsequent response that he might have killed Martha," but didn't have any memory of the crime, he wrote.

"Without fully appreciating the exceptionally coercive, highly organized and focused environment into which Mr. Skakel was placed it would have been extremely difficult if not impossible for a lay person to adequately comprehend the disorganized factual testimony about the nature of influence and control at Elan," he added.

Family members of Gregory Coleman, Skakel's classmate at Elan, are included on the latest witness list.

Skakel's defense filed a motion last week requesting that the court order attorney John Regan, of Rochester, N.Y., to testify about conversations he had with the now-dead Coleman, once his client.

Court documents indicate Skakel's defense believes Regan has information regarding Coleman's credibility, but that a court order is required to make Regan testify because of attorney-client privilege.

The period from April 16 to April 26 has been reserved for the trial in state Superior Court in Rockville.

david.hennessey@scni.com; 203-625-4428

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More Information
Potential witnesses for hearing in Michael Skakel case

Tony Bryant (prior testimony)
Barbara Bryant (prior testimony)
Elizabeth Coleman
Mary Coleman
Vito Collucci (prior testimony and live testimony)
Peter Coomaraswamy
Esme Dick
James Dowdle
Kevin Edwards
Richard Emanuel
Wright Ferguson
Rick Fisher
Michael Fitzpatrick
Mark Fuhrman
Frank Garr (prior testimony and live testimony)
Cliff Grubin (prior testimony)
David Grudberg
Adolph Hasbrouck (prior testimony)
Margie Walker Hauer
Richard Hoffman (prior testimony and live testimony)
Everette James (prior testimony)
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (prior testimony and live testimony)
Len Levitt (prior testimony)
Michael Meredith (prior testimony)
Crawford Mills (deceased, prior testimony)
Charles Morganti, Jr. (prior testimony)
James Murphy
Ronald Murphy
Richard J. Ofshe
Dennis Ossorio
Rick Pagnani
Graham Pettingill
John Regan
Betsy Reis
Al Robbins
Stephen Seeger
Charles Seigan (prior testimony and live testimony)
Michael Sherman (prior testimony and live testimony)
David Skakel (prior testimony)
John Skakel (prior testimony)
Julie Skakel (prior testimony)
Rushton Skakel Jr. (prior testimony)
Stephen Skakel (prior testimony)
Thomas Skakel
John Simpson (prior testimony)
Jack Solomon
Burton Tinsley (prior testimony)
Michael Udvardy (prior testimony and live testimony)
Neal Walker
Susan Wandzilak
Carl Wold (prior testimony)

[YV23]

Mickey Sherman put a cop on the jury. That's evidence of inadequate consul.

I notice this Santos guy was smart enough to keep Elan people off the witness list and out of the trial for this long

If they're trying to pass off Tony Bryant again, I predict a complete fail

[Anonymous]

Santos did the first and most important things right, he kept this out of the media and he kept Elan people out of it

I wonder why there isn't a stste witness list?

[Che Gookin]

Probably wants to keep the witnesses from being harassed by Elan alumni.  Don't be going all rage cannon on me, yall know its true..

Btw.. protip: Someone has been sent a fax about me to HEAL. I traced it back to the sender and I'm pretty sure I narrowed it down to a short list of one as to who exactly sent the fax about me and who most likely is sending the faxes about art and danny.

It's not an elan survivor.

You guys are getting played by a sorry assed sociopath who is laughing his ass off at you.

I won't say who it is, but again... it's not an elan survivor.

Please ignore these faxes and please try to fix the damage in your community.

[liarsexposed]

Well said
You are right
It's no secret who this person is
But this whole thing begins and ends with Sharon and Mark
I have a part in it.
I see an end to it as well

[Troublemaker]

mess with a state witness and you'll land in jail. That's not fornits, it's real life

I've narrowed the list down to Lee Goldman with the Heal faxes. She's a snake

[Ruaraidh.]

Lee will now commit suicide and it's all your fault

She is a little girl and a sweet little blossom and you've now pushed her to the window ledge

DON'T JUMP LEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

You murderous bastards

[Matt C. Hoffman]

Yeh I never thought Skakel was guilty - just by the words that he alledgedly uttered to make the beatings stop. And then of course all the other witnesses who heard those words, had no idea they were being manipulated by the directors who were running that inquisition.   the alledged confession of Yeh maybe I did -I don't know ,I don't remember uttered just to make the beatings stop hardly seems to be, at least to me an admisson of Yes I killed Martha Moxley.

Sure the children and adults that were witnessing this horrific beat down and insane interogation of the most coercive - yeh I wasn't there but my god folks I saw many a twisted elan confrontational no win for the accused game played  during my time  at Elan , so  yes I can imagine what Mike went thru . Hell they use to keep the house up past 11:00 pm until some one confessed to a certain deed . I mean hours past ,they (ricci and directors ,Kruglik ,gottlieb and MCCann) loved the sleep deprivation aspect of their sadistic torture cult  amongst all the other little toys that they had in their sadistic tool box of pain  that was elan. Any way I digress.

So to reinforce the alleged confession  for the ones witnessing this debacle -it goes from maybe ,I don't know , I don't remember to a sign that Mike had to wear - confront me as to why I killed my ....oh jeez those directors and Ricci just pushed the train right on down the tracks. Yet what kills me is if they actually believed any truth to his confession -Ricci or the directors is why didn't they go to the cops right then and there. did they really believe that his coerced confession was true , shoot a blind man could answer that.

So all those kids grow up into fine outstanding humanbeings and then one day some one calls them up and asks -like Frank Garr hey so and so  were you in Elan with Mike Skakel and did you witness him confessing to killing Martha Moxley - oh the cobwebs get brushed away and the stars come out at night and yes the Elaian says yeh as a matter of fact I remember something like that why yes indeed hell they made him weaqr a sign oh what was it oh Yeh confront me why I killed my neighbor.

Ah yes the manipulations of the Directors as they railroaded that kid Mike into confessing to nothing- into well he did it  cause look we got him wearing a sign . now for the out sider who never experienced Elan -they would not know that all the kids who witnessed Mike get the living daylights beaten out of him were also in this high pressured ruled by fear and the Directors were gods in their eyes , (hell Kenny Zaretzky was quoted as saying that  he believed Ricci was a God) in that  Hell hole and in fact they did believe everything that Ricci and the Directors said because they were also the ones who  doled out the favoritisms of goodness.

Hell I never knew that a coerced and violently coerced interrogation by non professionals ,whose only qualifacations were  that they were trained in the art of the Synanon game but they had upped the ante  of the game because this wasn't Synanon this was elan and it had many brutal sadistic tools of compliance , in their sadistic toolbox. And by gosh this was elan and they could get away with murder - thats another story, and again I digress. Still I thought and  believed that any confession brought out or found  by torture and sadistic coercive techniques was inadmissable in a court of law. Maybe this really isn't the USA mybe it is Pakistan.  Yes  wonders will never cease and like they said in elan "the reality is there is no reality "  

Why didn't Mickey Sherman  press these  issues . Why didn't he take my phone calls . When I talked to Frank Garr it seemed  that he didn't care to hear what I had to say about elan and the fact that I didn't  think Mike Skakel did it because of .... another person who came into the house late at night on 10-31-1975 in very strange circunstances at the time. And yes I certainly do have my reasons. Frank Garr seemed to understand that I suffered untold abuse after I was captured after running away from that assault incident with Robert . Yeh I told Frank Garr all about that and he told me that no one was going to put me in prison for that and that he could only imagine what I went thru Funny thing about all of this with Mickey Sherman and Frank Garr attempts at telling my side of a story that no one seemed to want to hear - was  because they already had a suspect and Sherman just didn't want to do his job and defend Mike Skakel tat all costs .  the funny thing about all of this is that this all happened back in 2000.

Yes back in 2000 when I read Ricci's words that the Kennedy family had suffered enough tragedies and in reference to the Skakel indictment "let by gones be by gones" I went thru unmitigated changes of PTSD because of the I had tried to cognitively disassociate myself from because they were so painful , these  memories just flowed like some giant dam that had burst. All from hearing Joe Ricci's voice while I was reading his words.

Yeh I am much happier now and sure I have had to make friends with horrible meories from hell - I can talk about elan and the things I experienced and witnessed  with great acuity and thought - and in a very factual fashion ,with out all the emotional bagage that use to make me hide those memories from myself . Yes I have made friends with memories from hell and yes that was elan. and for some reason I have a memory that just works very well, lol.

Yeh outside of the alledged confession being brutally beaten out of him and those words that he uttered aren't really an admission -its more like an innocent young boy just trying to say what his sadistic  cultic captors want him  him to say to make the emotional and physical pains of the sick elan game and sadistic beatdowns  to stop.

Yeh I don't think Mike Skakel is guilty -but I have other reasons besides what I wrote above- yet no one in Mike Skakels defense seems to really care. And that has always really puzzeled me.I would take truth serum -lie detector tests ,and more truth serum.

I truly don't believe Mike Skakel is guilty and no one who could help mike Skakel really  gives a hoot, so it seems.

Matt C. Hoffman.

[DannyB II]

I already know that you may rip my head off because I am responding to your post but I felt compelled because I do feel he is guilty and that they did get the right guy. I do feel sorry for him because his family knew he did it and they felt paralyzed to do anything. His father Rushton knew he did it which is why he hired a very prestigious firm to handle an investigation which would produce the Sutton File.  
The evidence that was used at trial had nothing to do with Mike being beaten into making a confession (I am not arguing the beating because I wasn't there) it had more to do with eye witness testimony from 2-3 people (ex-Elan residents) saying Mike confessed to the killing.
I also thought Mark Furman's book was compelling.
I was also brought before the grand jury (for proof I still have the subpoena) due to the fact that I did Mike's initial intake exam (which in reality was a question and answer session about the murder). I can still remember it, he laughed at every question and played games throughout the whole time we were in the conference room. I understood that he probably didn't take me seriously since we were both the same age, didn't come across as very intelligent nor like I knew what I was doing. But everyone who had picked me to do this interview already knew my lack of credentials but what they were banking on was that I could get a feel on where Mike was at. I feel I did and I came away with a strong gut feeling that Mike did commit this murder. I told this to Joe, to the Sutton Investigators and to Rushton Skakel himself. Did I have concrete proof hell no, Mike did not admit to the murder to me but then again IMO he did by his actions in that room that afternoon in August of 1978.
No I am not going to the trial, just as I didn't go to the one that convicted him. They tried to get me to go but I told them I have nothing to tell you because it is just my opinion, am I willing to put someone away for the rest of his life on just my opinion..NO. But I also don't feel sad that Mike is in prison either. Because in my heart of hearts I know he is GUILTY!
It took his wife less than a week to file divorce papers, get paid hush up money and move on. Shit what does that tell you?

[Anonymous]

Three liars. If they heard him admit to killing Martha, they would have gone to staff

I thinkTommy or this Avanango guy I read about did it

 :boycott:

[Reddit TroubledTeens]

http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationw ... 04-15.html

Posted: April 15
Updated: Today at 2:40 PM

Skakel's trial attorney admits reluctance to call experts

The Kennedy cousin appeals his murder conviction by arguing that his lawyer failed to adequately defend him, including insufficiently challenging a witness who said Skakel confessed while at the Elan school in Maine.

By John Christoffersen / The Associated Press


VERNON, Conn. — The trial attorney for Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel said Tuesday he was reluctant to call experts at times during his murder trial because he worried about a "rich man's justice perception and we could just buy experts."
Michael Skakel
click image to enlarge

Michael Skakel listens during a parole hearing Oct. 24 at McDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Conn.

The Associated Press

Skakel's latest appeal trial began Tuesday with his former lawyer defending an accusation that he failed to competently defend Skakel when he was convicted of murder in 2002.

Skakel, the 52-year-old nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel, is serving 20 years to life in prison for the 1975 golf club bludgeoning of Greenwich neighbor Martha Moxley when both of them were 15.

Skakel argues that during the 2002 trial, attorney Michael Sherman failed to challenge the state's star witness and obtain evidence pointing to other suspects, did a poor job with jury selection and closing arguments and didn't hire enough investigators and expert consultants.

Sherman, the first witness to take the stand in Rockville Superior Court in the appeal trial, said he had been confident before the 2002 trial that he would win. Sherman previously has said he did all he could to prevent Skakel's conviction.

Attorneys for Skakel argue that Sherman failed to challenge the state's star witness, Gregory Coleman, by finding witnesses who later rejected his claim that Skakel confessed to the crime. Coleman testified that Skakel confessed when they attended Elan, a reform school in Maine in the late 1970s, and said one of a few classmates he named may have heard it.

Sherman said Monday Coleman was "patently unbelievable so I never felt I needed a smoking gun to shoot down Mr. Coleman's testimony."

Sherman was also pressed by Skakel's current attorney, Hubert Santos, on whether he sought an expert to testify about Elan and whether he tried to get block Skakel's alleged confessions on the grounds that they were coerced. Sherman said he reached out to several people, including an expert on false confessions, but felt the expert wasn't needed because the defense contended Skakel never confessed.

"I didn't want to turn it into a rich man's justice perception and we could just buy experts," Sherman said.

Sherman also was pressed on why he didn't obtain a police sketch of a man seen walking near the Moxley property the night of the murder that Skakel's defense contends resembled an early suspect. Prosecutors say police concluded the sketch was of a neighbor.

Sherman said he did file motions seeking any sketches but didn't get them before trial. As Skakel's attorney put up the sketch next to a photo of the earlier suspect, Sherman acknowledged having the sketch would have been helpful.

Sherman also said he tried unsuccessfully to get a profile report on the suspect prepared by investigators, saying that also would have been helpful because investigators at the time backed up Skakel's alibi. Prosecutors say the report was hearsay and not admissible.

Santos questioned Sherman on why he didn't call witnesses to establish that the lead investigator planned to write a book on the case, saying that could have opened a broad new line of defense. Sherman said he tried unsuccessfully to find out about the book and acknowledged it could have been used in his defense.

Prosecutors say many of the issues were rejected in earlier appeals, including the book deal and issues related to the star witness.

Skakel, who lost a bid for parole last year, is hoping to get out of prison through a writ of habeas corpus arguing he was deprived of his constitutional right to effective legal representation when Sherman was his attorney.

Santos, Skakel's current attorney, argues his client's conviction is based on two witnesses of dubious credibility who claimed Skakel confessed to the crime. He contends the verdict likely would have been different if Sherman had conducted an appropriate investigation, obtained evidence and challenged inappropriate state evidence.

Prosecutor Susann Gill counters that Skakel's conviction came after more than a dozen witnesses testified that he made incriminating statements, including three direct confessions.

Skakel has lost two appeals before the Connecticut Supreme Court.

[Matt C. Hoffman]

I already know that you may rip my head off because I am responding to your post but I felt compelled because I do feel he is guilty and that they did get the right guy. I do feel sorry for him because his family knew he did it and they felt paralyzed to do anything. His father Rushton knew he did it which is why he hired a very prestigious firm to handle an investigation which would produce the Sutton File.  
The evidence that was used at trial had nothing to do with Mike being beaten into making a confession (I am not arguing the beating because I wasn't there) it had more to do with eye witness testimony from 2-3 people (ex-Elan residents) saying Mike confessed to the killing.
I also thought Mark Furman's book was compelling.
I was also brought before the grand jury (for proof I still have the subpoena) due to the fact that I did Mike's initial intake exam (which in reality was a question and answer session about the murder). I can still remember it, he laughed at every question and played games throughout the whole time we were in the conference room. I understood that he probably didn't take me seriously since we were both the same age, didn't come across as very intelligent nor like I knew what I was doing. But everyone who had picked me to do this interview already knew my lack of credentials but what they were banking on was that I could get a feel on where Mike was at. I feel I did and I came away with a strong gut feeling that Mike did commit this murder. I told this to Joe, to the Sutton Investigators and to Rushton Skakel himself. Did I have concrete proof hell no, Mike did not admit to the murder to me but then again IMO he did by his actions in that room that afternoon in August of 1978.
No I am not going to the trial, just as I didn't go to the one that convicted him. They tried to get me to go but I told them I have nothing to tell you because it is just my opinion, am I willing to put someone away for the rest of his life on just my opinion..NO. But I also don't feel sad that Mike is in prison either. Because in my heart of hearts I know he is GUILTY!
It took his wife less than a week to file divorce papers, get paid hush up money and move on. Shit what does that tell you?

Well you are certainly entitled to your own opinion- complete with glaring contradictions, which is expected, and the casual reader will pick them up rest assured, Danny Bennison.

I have not nor would I read anything written by Furhman, there are far too many good books out there that I would like to  spend my time reading - Furhman does not fall  into my category of that type of author that I would read. And Yes I love to read.

[liarsexposed]

I was there for that GM,and signage. Mike never confessed to anything. After 4-5 rounds in the ring,panting like a dog,bruised and beaten.. there was no admission. He and I slept in beds opposite each other,and we talked all the time. I wouldnt say we were best friends,but you couldnt have a best friend in elan.
Was the mileu we were forced to live in
I had a couple conversations with Frank Garr,told him the same thing.. But he was stuck on finding,or making him guilty (not sure which). Joe's testimony,and others from the Elan circus,tainted the outcome of this trial
eye witness testimony from a known herion user,and a loser looking for cash is how this case came about.
Furman is and was a lying idiot long before the Skakel circus
The one who really makes me sad is Dorothy Moxley. She is missing her daughter. Im not sure she cared WHO was convicted,as long as someone paid the price
Unfortunately,justice was not served,and over 10 years later,its time to make right. Even if he DID do it,which I disbelieve. .The penalty,at that time,would've been Juvi Jail until Mike was 18.. Maybe 21
This is a miscarriage of justice IMO

[Matt C. Hoffman]

It is good to see former residents testifying on a witness stand about the sadistic beatings and various beatdowns that people suffered at the direction of Joe Ricci's goon squard that ran that hellhole.  

Constance Narayanan is a very brave woman to come forward and testify. It is funny how people telling the truth- their stories never change.  

Maybe this time a competent lawyer will be able to show the judge and the rest of the world that Elan was a brutal ,sadistic, violent -soul eating hellhole. Children subjected to such intense psychological techniques of coercion, intimidation, cuppled with the physical aspect of beatings and the ring beatdowns - should render anything that Mike skakel  may or may not have addmitted to, as inadmissible in any American court of law.

Rendering all witnesses testimonies  pertaining to what Mike may have said or not said inadmissible, any competent lawyer worth their salt should be able to  show this and prove this.

Maybe former survivors of Elan like myself and others will finally get the justice and acknowledgement that we deserve and need for complete closure of this  horrible chapter in our lives.

May Martin Kruglik , Jeffery Gottlieb,  Sharon Terry ,  former state Sentator Bill Diamond  and Ed McColl  get the justice that they so badly need and many of us seek for them, for brutal crimes of severe sadistic child abuse. I truly believe Elan  was a criminally run continuing enterprise, that fraudulently existed for close to 40 years.

Those aforementioned people ,Martin Kruglik ,Jeffery Gottlieb and Sharon Terry and their Lawyer  and the  former state senator Bill Diamond in my opinion aided and abetted Joe ricci in helping him run such a criminal operation.  

Former senator, Mister Bill Diamond in my opinion, used his position and connections with the Maine state legistlature to make sure that elan was protected and stayed protected, for years and years. Mister Diamond advocated for abused children,though not children that were being abused in elan, a unique double standard. Bill Diamond actually had the gall to write a book about horrible child abuse and in my opinion is one of the biggest frauds and two faced politicians known to man.

Bill Diamond worked for elan, as he stated in the book -Duck in a Raincoat by Maura Curley.

Elan abused children for massive profits,  profits derived from many other state's coffers, in the most grotesque fashion unimaginable to every day people,and it continued for close to forty long years.

I honestly don't believe Mike Skakel is guilty, from what I know first hand about the Elan machine of emotional and physical torture.

Matt C. Hoffman

http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/arti ... to-4485366

[DannyB II]

It is good to see former residents testifying on a witness stand about the sadistic beatings and various beatdowns that people suffered at the direction of Joe Ricci's goon squard that ran that hellhole.

Constance Narayanan is a very brave woman to come forward and testify. It is funny how people telling the truth- their stories never change.

Maybe this time a competent lawyer will be able to show the judge and the rest of the world that Elan was a brutal ,sadistic, violent -soul eating hellhole. Children subjected to such intense psychological techniques of coercion, intimidation, cuppled with the physical aspect of beatings and the ring beatdowns - should render anything that Mike skakel may or may not have addmitted to, as inadmissible in any American court of law.

Rendering all witnesses testimonies pertaining to what Mike may have said or not said inadmissible, any competent lawyer worth their salt should be able to show this and prove this.

Maybe former survivors of Elan like myself and others will finally get the justice and acknowledgement that we deserve and need for complete closure of this horrible chapter in our lives.

May Martin Kruglik , Jeffery Gottlieb, Sharon Terry , former state Sentator Bill Diamond and Ed McColl get the justice that they so badly need and many of us seek for them, for brutal crimes of severe sadistic child abuse. I truly believe Elan was a criminally run continuing enterprise, that fraudulently existed for close to 40 years.

Those aforementioned people ,Martin Kruglik ,Jeffery Gottlieb and Sharon Terry and their Lawyer and the former state senator Bill Diamond in my opinion aided and abetted Joe ricci in helping him run such a criminal operation.

Former senator, Mister Bill Diamond in my opinion, used his position and connections with the Maine state legistlature to make sure that elan was protected and stayed protected, for years and years. Mister Diamond advocated for abused children,though not children that were being abused in elan, a unique double standard. Bill Diamond actually had the gall to write a book about horrible child abuse and in my opinion is one of the biggest frauds and two faced politicians known to man.

Bill Diamond worked for elan, as he stated in the book -Duck in a Raincoat by Maura Curley.

Elan abused children for massive profits, profits derived from many other state's coffers, in the most grotesque fashion unimaginable to every day people,and it continued for close to forty long years.

I honestly don't believe Mike Skakel is guilty, from what I know first hand about the Elan machine of emotional and physical torture.

Matt C. Hoffman

http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/arti ... to-4485366

Mike, killed her in 1975, he didn't get to Elan until 1978. The admission of guilt that Mike confessed to this one resident at Elan in particular was extremely compelling and went towards convicting him as were the lies he told the police concerning his where abouts during the hours before, during and after the murder. Martha Moxely was beaten to death with a golf club, a portion of the shaft was imbedded in her chest.
Sorry, I have no sympathy for this sick fuck. He knows he did it, his brother and his family knows. They just don't believe someone from his pedigree should be sent to prison for life or sent to prison at all. I really don't think Micky Sherman's incompetence really played a part, but we will see. Shit.....OJ Simpson walked away scott free, so stranger things have happened. He is getting more chances at proving his innocents than you or I would ever have, all because of who he is.
Your characterization of Elan goes without argument from me. It was one of the worst places I had ever been sent to. I absolutely got nothing out it, except the friends I met and who I still stay in touch with today.