The daughter of Irishman Jason Corbett has revealed that she “can’t” sleep knowing her American stepmother Molly Martens, who is jailed for the murder of her father, could be freed in the coming days.
Sarah Corbett Lynch (14) and her brother, Jack (16), were orphaned when their 39-year-old father was murdered in his home in Walburg, North Carolina, on August 2nd, 2015 while he slept. Mr Corbett was killed with an aluminium baseball bat and paving stone.
Molly Martens Corbett (37) and her father, Tom (71), a retired FBI agent with 30 years experience, were convicted of the Limerick father of two’s death by a US court in August 2017.
The Martens pair pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed self-defence was the reason behind their actions which resulted in the death of the business executive. Both are serving 20 to 25 year jail terms in high security prisons in the US.
The father and daughter are hoping to be freed on bail this week after being granted a retrial for their murder convictions by the North Carolina Supreme Court upholding a decision by the lower appellate court, last year, to grant a retrial in the case.
The appellate court ruled that the exclusion of certain evidence, and erroneous inclusion of other evidence, meant Tom and Molly were “prevented from presenting a meaningful defence” or receiving “the full benefit” of their self-defence claims, and, in turn, the jury was “denied critical evidence and rendered incapable of performing its constitutional function.”
Elle article
Ms Martens spoke publicly for the first time since her incarceration in May’s edition of US magazine elle.com concerning domestic abuse alleged to have occurred. However, her stepdaughter, who was aged 8 when her father died, has slammed the article and interview.
Taking to her social media platforms the teenager and successful author said: “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people. I hope you can sleep tonight Alex Ronan [article author] because I can’t knowing my Dad’s killer and my abuser will be free. Your report is so biased and so wrong.”
Her aunt Tracey Corbett, whom she now lives with in Limerick and who is her legal guardian, has travelled to the US on legal matters concerning a retrial of her brother’s wife and father-in-law.
Meanwhile, the Corbett family support page, Jason’s Journey, has issued a further statement on their behalf.
The post says: “We pray and have faith that the District Attorney of North Carolina has the courage and conviction to retry Molly and Tom Martens.
“We are devastated at the thought of having to go through all this again. However, we look forward to the court, the jury, and the public, hearing directly from the mouths of Jason’s orphaned children just what Molly Martens was really like, and what Jason was really like.”
Tape recording
The post then addresses the recent American article.
“Elle’s reporter relies on an edited tape recording which purports to show Jason abusing Molly. We look forward to hearing the full unedited version of this tape if it hasn’t been ‘destroyed or lost’ like the other tapes Molly claims to have.
“Molly had placed recording devices throughout the house, including in the bedroom where Jason was killed. She planted these devices because Jason was planning to move home to Ireland with his children and she would stop at nothing to get custody of the children.
“We know there were recording devices in the bedroom, so isn’t it strange that Molly has not produced the recording from the night of August 2 2015? Surely, that recording would prove the best witness of all, as to what really happened that night.”
In the aftermath of their father’s death, Jack and Sarah, were each interviewed by North Carolina authorities. They described alleged verbal, emotional abuse between the husband and wife, according to the appellate court judgment.
The brother and sister claim they were tutored to recant the allegations and have publicly condemned both of the Martens.
Three out of four judges, from the North Carolina Supreme Court, have now backed a re-trial to go ahead which is not expected to be held until the middle of next year.
Ms Martens first met Mr Corbett when she moved to Limerick from the US, as his children’s nanny. She subsequently married Mr Corbett in 2011. Mr Corbett’s first wife, Mags, died from an asthma attack in 2006.
