1. The Story Was So Flimsy That Authorities Opened an Inquest Five Months Later
There were so many holes and unanswered questions in Kennedy’s story that the Edgartown police convened an inquest into the accident in January of 1970. Kennedy’s lawyers requested that the inquiry be conducted in secrecy, which the Massachusetts Supreme Court agreed to. Judge James A. Boyle presided over the inquest, which released a 763-page transcript four months later. The investigation found that Kennedy was not attempting to reach the ferry but intentionally turned down the dike road, that he was likely operating his vehicle negligently, and that his actions contributed to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.
These findings were substantial enough that a warrant could have been issued for Kennedy’s arrest, but no warrant was ever ordered. Both the prosecutor and the judge declined to pursue further legal actions against Kennedy. The Kopechne family also refused to pursue any legal action, having already received a sum of over $90,000 from Kennedy personally and $50,000 from a life insurance policy. So, despite the findings of the inquest and the unanswered questions from Kennedy’s patchy story, he was never charged with anything more than leaving the scene of an accident in the death of a bright young political mind.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The True Story of Ted Kennedy’s Manslaughter Is Even More Messed Up Than Hollywood Will Show You” Melissa Sartore, Ranker. N.d.
“Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick Incident: What Really Happened” Sarah Pruitt, History. April 2018.
“Why Every Liberal Should See ‘Chappaquiddick'” Owen Gleiberman, Variety. April 2018.
“Chappaquiddick Incident” – Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. December 2018.