Associated Press

Kennedy family cousin Michael Skakel leaves Superior Court in Stamford, Conn., April 18, 2001, after attending a probable cause hearing. The state Supreme Court dismissed an appeal from Skakel, who had sought to have his trial in the 1975 murder of a Greenwich neighbor heard in juvenile court

HARTFORD, Conn. - The state Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel yesterday, clearing the way for his murder trial in the 1975 beating death of a Greenwich neighbor when both were teenagers.

In a unanimous decision, the justices dismissed Skakel's bid to have his case transferred to juvenile court. No trial date has been set.

Skakel, a nephew of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, is charged with the murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley, who was beaten to death with a golf club.

No arrests were made for more than 24 years after the killing. Skakel was charged in January 2000 and later arraigned as a juvenile because he had been 15 at the time of his neighbor's death.

Juvenile Court Judge Maureen Dennis had ruled adult court was the proper venue for the trial, in part because the state has no juvenile facility where it could send Skakel, now 41, if he is convicted.

In its decision, the Supreme Court said Skakel could not appeal Dennis' decision before the trial and any verdict.

"It's not a loss," said Skakel's attorney, Michael Sherman. "They're telling us to come back when there is a decision to appeal."

As a juvenile, the maximum penalty Skakel could have received under the law in effect in 1975 was four years. As an adult, he could be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison.

Prosecutor Jonathan Benedict said he was pleased with the high court's ruling and looks forward to bringing the case to trial.

"The case is 26 years old now, and I think both parties feel strongly that it is something that needs to get resolved pretty quickly," he said.

Dorthy Moxley, Martha's mother, said it was important to her that the case be heard in adult court.

"If he were found guilty in juvenile court, at least the world would know who killed my daughter. In an adult court, he would be punished as an adult," she said.