Murder In Greenwich

After 27 years and thousands of news reports, testimony in the murder trial of Michael Skakel -- a 41-year-old nephew of Ethel Kennedy -- gets under way Tuesday in a Norwalk, Conn. courthouse.

Skakel is accused of using his mother's golf club to bludgeon to death a neighborhood girl, Martha Moxley, in 1975. Both were 15 years old at the time.

Skakel's defense could get a boost if members of the famous Kennedy clan show up to support their relative. But prosecutors have their own asset in a charming and graceful woman who generates widespread sympathy.

The victim's mother, Dorthy Moxley, is expected to be the first prosecution witness to testify.

Moxley is not expected to offer concrete evidence, though her diminutive presence looms large. She campaigned for nearly 27 years to find her daughter's killer.

Michael Sherman, Skakel's laywe, has recognized the sympathy factor. He repeatedly asked prospective jurors if they would be swayed by a desire to provide Mrs. Moxley closure, even if the state could not prove its case.

"I just think it's important for the jurors to understand, to acquit Michael Skakel they are going to have to look at her and make her unhappy," Sherman said. "She is a factor in this case. I think it is better to address it than ignore it."

There are no known eyewitnesses to the murder and apparently limited forensic evidence. The golf club used in the attack was traced to a set owned by Skakel's mother.

Experts familiar with the case told CBS News' Jon Frankel that the lack of forensic evidence - DNA, hair, skin - will make it difficult for the prosecution.

Prosecutors allege Skakel himself has provided evidence through several confessions he allegedly made during a wild ride he had with a chauffeur shortly after the murder and even a book proposal.

Skakel may even have talked about the case to a baby sitter involved in an affair with his cousin, Michael Kennedy. Both sides named her as a possible witness.

John Moxley, the victim's older brother, said he's not surprised that Michael Skakel has talked about the case. Substance abuse programs Skakel has attended encourage addicts to talk about their troubles, he said.

"I think it's impossible to keep a secret like that forever," Moxley said. "Part of the program is, 'The truth shall set you free.'"

Skakel's attorneys plan to challenge the credibility and reliability of those who claim he admitted the murder.

"Michael never confessed to this crime. It's as simple as that," said Sherman.

In a brief courthouse interview last month, Skakel said: "Last time I checked, (not) bearing false witness was a commandment, not a suggestion."

Defense attorneys also allege that Kenneth Littleton — an earlier suspect who was the Skakel's live-in tutor — confessed to the crime, a claim rejected by prosecutors. The judge has not yet ruled whether the Littleton statements cited by the defense can be used as evidence in Skakel's trial.

Skakel's defense is expected to include testimony that he was at his cousin's house in another part of Greenwich around the time when the murder occurred. The defense also plans to call a veterinarian to testify about barking dogs that may have marked the time of death.

Prosecutors are keeping the possible time of the crime open as wide as possible, apparently to allow for changes in Skakel's alibi that they say put him at the crime scene later that night.

As many as a dozen people who attended a substance abuse center with Skakel in the late 1970s are on a list of prosecution witnesses. Two of them testified at pretrial hearings that Skakel confessed when they attended the Elan School in Maine.

Another prosecution witness is Lawrence Zicarelli, a family driver who describes a ride to New York in which Skakel allegedly displayed a knife and threatened to stab him.

"Michael then stated to him that he had done something very bad, and that he needed to get out of the country, and that he had to kill himself," according to the arrest warrant.

Skakel jumped out of the car and began to climb the Triborough Bridge in New York City, threatening to jump off, the warrant states.

Prosecutors also may call Richard Hoffman, who planned to write a book about Skakel's life. That testimony may include extensive taped interviews in which the jury may hear from Skakel in his own words if he chooses not to take the stand in his own defense.

Members of the Kennedy clan are expected to attend portions of the trial and Courtney Kennedy, Skakel's cousin, is a defense character witness.