The real identities of several of the protagonists are replaced with pseudonyms in this adaptation. These include: - The Skakel family tutor/supervisor, Ken Littleton (in the film called Morris Banks); - The Moxley's neighbor, briefly suspected of the murder, Ed Hammond (Rob Mathers); - The Skakel family relations whose house several of the Skakel brothers visited that night, the Terrians, including Jimmy Dowdle/Terrian (The Morgans / Larry Morgan); - The family who lived across the street from the Moxleys, the Ix family (the Fosters), in particular Mildred "Cissy" Ix (Constance Foster) and Martha's friend Helen Ix (Charity Foster); - The 11-year old who accompanied Martha and Helen while they listened to music with Michael Skakel in the Lincoln, Geoffrey Byrne (in the film called Paul Joyce, and made a similar age to Martha and Helen/Charity, with whom he "makes out" in the back seat of the Lincoln, contrary to real life events); - Skakel family gardener Franz "Frank" Wittine (Alex Grafton); - Jim McKenzie, a Great Lakes Carbon junior lawyer who "babysits" the Skakel children following the discovery of Martha's body and prior to Rushton Skakel's return (Jackson O'Connor). In addition, the character of Hildy Southerlyn in the film is a fictional device, enabling the introduction of information from several real-life sources. Similarly, Martha's "best friend" Lucy Duke is a fictitious character, probably representing an amalgamation of Christy Kalan, Tory Fuchs and Margie Walker.
