Once
again, we are forced to ask ourselves how and why a
young man could have kept this to himself after so many
years.
Another interesting point when considered in a
prejudicial context: Michael claimed, when
interviewed by Sutton Associates, that he could not
remember when he first realized Martha was dead. To
the average person, such a realization would have
been a frightening and unprecedented moment of
devastation. Not a moment, in short, one could easily
forget--even if wanting to. One reason why Michael
may not have been able to pinpoint the time when he
was made aware of Martha's death, could be because he
knew she was dead before anyone else.
Michael also told Sutton Associates investigators he
did not consider Martha to be a flirt. Again, this
may be a truthful and entirely innocuous response to
a simple question. However, when we consider this
response carefully, in a prejudicial context, it is
slightly suspect. By all other accounts, many of them
emphatic and coming directly from her good friends,
Martha Moxley was a relentless flirt. This aspect of
her character was one with which she was, in a
neutral sense, largely identified with. No one
considered her to be promiscuous, or inappropriately
preoccupied with sexuality. Rather, her
flirtatiousness seems to have been of the "nice girl"
variety, and was indicative of a self-confident and
cheerful disposition. It seems odd, then, that
Michael, who we know was involved with Martha at
least for a short while, and who certainly spent
considerable time with her, would dissent from the
consensus on this point. Why would Michael say he did
[^] find Martha to be a
flirt? Are there reasons he may have been wary of
going on record with such a statement? Let us not
forget, Michael saw Martha and Tommy together at the
side of the house before he left (assuming he left)
for the Terrien's [Terriens']. Given all this, it
defies common sense that Michael could have thought
Martha wasn't a flirt. Many people who were
close, or not so close to Martha, readily volunteered
this information. It was no secret to anyone. Why
wouldn't Michael say so?
In general, it seems as though Michael has been
overlooked to some degree. The authorities placed
Tommy immediately under considerable scrutiny. He was
questioned for upwards of five hours on the night of
October 31, 1975. Michael, on the other hand, seems
to have been largely ignored as a possible suspect,
until later. His subsequent difficulties with the law
may have contributed to the police's desire to
evaluate him with renewed speculation.
7
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