NORWALK, Conn. — A longtime suspect in the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley testified under immunity Thursday that another former suspect, the brother of defendant Michael Skakel, watched a TV movie with him at about the time some believe the killing occurred.

Wearing a dark gray suit with his tie off kilter, Kenneth Littleton of Boston testified that it was the first day of his new job as the live-in tutor to Rushton Skakel Sr.'s seven children when Martha Moxley was murdered.

He is in his 50s now and his gray hair is receding, but Littleton still talks in that slow, deliberate way that people who knew him in the Greenwich community of Belle Haven remember.

Littleton, the prosecution's 13th witness, said he never met the 15-year-old girl whose death stumped investigators and inspired investigative reporters for more than two decades.

Prosecutor Jonathan Benedict moved quickly to establish that Littleton has a psychiatric condition, a fact that would likely be brought out by the defense on cross-examination.

"I have bipolar disorder, which is more commonly known as manic-depressive illness," said Littleton, who takes six prescribed medications.

According to the former tutor, he, Michael Skakel and some of the older Skakel children each drank a Heineken beer at the Belle Haven Club during a dinner that lasted until about 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 1975. Arriving back at the Skakels' estate, Littleton went to the bedroom he was using while Rushton Skakel Sr. was out of town and then went downstairs to see what the children were doing.

Littleton saw about 10 teenagers in the sunroom, he said, and everything appeared to be under control, so he went back upstairs to help the household childcare aide, Nanny Sweeney, put the two youngest children to bed. Littleton said he was about 30 minutes into the 9 p.m. television premier of the movie "The French Connection" when Sweeney asked him to investigate a commotion outside.

"I heard some scuffling in the leaves and it sort of spooked me," said Littleton, who stood listening on the edge of the Skakel driveway for several minutes.

Littleton testified that the Skakel family car had already left, although the identity of its occupants remains disputed by other witnesses.

At about 9:40 p.m., according to the testimony, Thomas Skakel joined Littleton and watched the movie until the famous chase scene ended at 10:15 p.m. or 10:20 p.m. "I don't know where he went after that," Littleton said. He also volunteered at one point, "He was perfectly composed, not agitated."

Littleton was on the stand for about 45 minutes for the prosecution, but the defense has yet to have a crack at the important witness. Judge John Kavanewsky Jr. sent the jury home until Monday and scheduled a hearing Friday on what the defense will be allowed to ask Littleton on cross-examination.

Sherman wants to ask Littleton about his immunity deal and efforts by police over many years to prove that Littleton killed Martha. A central issue at the hearing will be prosecution tapes turned over to the defense during which Littleton and his ex-wife discussed a conversation they had in September 1991, months earlier.

The defense contends the tapes amount to admissions by Littleton that he once told his wife that he might have been involved in Martha's murder. The prosecution was forced to concede last month that investigators asked his wife, Mary Baker, to tell Littleton that he had confessed to the killing in an alcohol-induced blackout.

At the time, prosecutor Jonathan Benedict called it the "most bizarre" investigative technique he had ever seen. He was not involved in the case during the early 1990s when prosecution inspectors Frank Garr and Jack Solomon rekindled an investigation that lay dormant for years.

The Littleton tape was played by Sherman in open court before the trial began. Kavanewsky indicated then that he could not rule on how deep the defense can delve into the pursuit of Littleton until after his direct examination. Jurors were told only that there were legal matters that the court needed to discuss with the lawyers Friday.

Littleton and other witnesses may take the stand during the hearing. The prosecution is seeking to limit the defense's cross-examination to issues relevant to the guilt or innocence of Michael Skakel.

Littleton, whose lawyer sat in the first row during his testimony Thursday, now works as a "psychiatric counsel" who assists people in their homes by dispensing medication and performing other tasks.