Fox 8 January 4th 2016
Wife, father-in-law indicted in Irish man’s murder in Davidson County
DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — A woman and her father have been indicted in the murder of an Irish man at his Davidson County home in August 2015, according to Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank. Frank confirmed Monday the grand jury has indicted Molly Martens Corbett, 31, and her father Thomas Michael Martens, 65, with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. They are accused of killing 39-year-old Jason Paul Corbett
Corbett’s death led to a custody battle between Molly Corbett and Jason Corbett’s family in Ireland. The custody battle sparked international attention, with the children’s aunt and uncle in Ireland ultimately gaining custody. Court dates for Molly Corbett and her father have not been announced.
Daily Mail UK January 4th 2016
A former model has lashed out on Facebook after she and her former FBI agent father were charged with murdering her husband. Hours after the indictments were unsealed on Monday, Martens took to Facebook to rant that the truth apparently 'does not matter'.
She wrote: 'I cannot believe the level of slander, harassment, lies and absolute utter corruption. The truth does not matter. 'Shouldn't the truth matter? Shouldn't the truth prevail? Doesn't anyone care about the truth?'
It is understood that a grand jury took a day to consider the indictments and recommended that Martens and her father be charged on both counts. Thomas Martens is a retired FBI agent. Until August he worked as a counterintelligence officer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee.
He was placed on administrative leave after the police investigation opened into Corbett's death, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. District Attorney Garry Frank said on Monday that arrangements were being made to bring Martens and her father before a court this week.
‘The grand jury returned true bills of indictment against Mr Martens and Mrs Corbett for second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter,’ he said.
He added: ‘At the moment both defendants are out of the State and their lawyer is making efforts to bring them back by tomorrow (Tuesday) at the earliest.
'At this point in time they are like every other defendant, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. They will have a court appearance sometime this week, a bond will be set and we will proceed to the next court hearing according to procedure.’
When asked if he was confident of securing a conviction in relation to the charges, Frank said it would be ‘improper’ for him to comment.
He added: ‘I signed the indictments asking the jury to find probable cause that this is the charge. Now (for a trial jury) the standard of proof changes to beyond a reasonable doubt. I’m comfortable with the probable cause determination and now we will have to put on the evidence and see.’
Both charges can be pursued until the matter goes before a trial jury later in the year. The jury can hear the evidence and decide on which one, if any, to convict on.
Both defendants are understood to be ‘outside the state’ and were notified of the charges via their lawyer David Freedman.
Arrangements are being made for them to return to North Carolina so orders for arrest can be produced in open court and a bond set in relation to the charges.
Independent.ie January 5th 2016
Mugshots of Molly Martens and father as they appear in court over Jason Corbett death
The wife and father-in-law of an Irish man found dead last August in his Davidson County home were ordered Tuesday to turn over their passports and to not have any contact with the man's two children.
Molly Martens Corbett, 32, and Thomas Michael Martens, 65, made their first appearance in Davidson Superior Court after they were indicted on second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. They are accused of killing Limerick native Jason Corbett, 39. He was found bludgeoned to death in his home in the Meadowlands, a golf course community in Davidson County.
Irish Daily Mail January 5th 2016
MOLLY MARTENS AND HER FATHER CHARGED WITH JASON’S KILLING
MOLLY Martens and her father Thomas have been charged with the murder of Limerick father-of-two Jason Corbett in his US home.
US District Attorney Garry Frank told the Irish Daily Mail that he hoped the pair would stand trial by the end of the year. A grand jury took a day to consider the case and recommended that Ms Martens, the victim’s second wife and former nanny, be charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. Her father Thomas, an ex-FBI agent, faces the same charges. The second-degree murder charges carry a possible life sentence.
The news that Ms Martens and her father are to be tried for Mr Corbett’s killing was welcomed by his family last night. The charges against his second wife and her father were handed down after Mr Frank, the District Attorney, convened a special sitting of a grand jury in North Carolina on December 19. The grand jury finding was then sealed because of the Christmas holidays. Yesterday, however Mr Frank moved to formally process both parties. Mr Frank had sent forward two ‘bills of indictment’ for consideration by the grand jury – one for a charge of second-degree murder and one for a charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Last night Mr Corbett’s sister Tracy Lynch and her husband David issued an emotional statement in response to the news of the charges being brought.
The couple, who are now legal guardians of Jack and Sarah following a hardfought custody battle against Molly Martens last year, said: ‘ We want to express our appreciation to Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank and Davidson County Sheriff David Grice and his investigators for their hard work and determination to uncover the truth.
‘We want all of the facts to go in front of a jury so that we can all know the truth. We continue to grieve over the murder of Jason. Jason’s children are doing well, given what has happened.
‘We are thankful that they are in Ireland, surrounded by loving family.’
When asked if he was confident of securing a conviction in relation to the charges, Mr Frank said it would be ‘improper’ for him to comment.
He added: ‘I signed the indictments asking the jury to find probable cause that this is the charge. Now (for a trial jury) the standard of proof changes to beyond a reasonable doubt.
‘I’m comfortable with the probable cause determination and now we will have to put on the evidence and see.’
New York Daily News January 5th 2016
North Carolina woman, her former FBI agent father charged with murdering her Irish-born husband
A North Carolina woman and her ex-FBI agent father have been charged in the August murder of her Irish-born husband, according to grand jury indictments unsealed Monday.
Molly Martens Corbett, 31, and Thomas Michael Martens, 65, were both charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in death of Jason Corbett, the documents reveal.
Irish Daily Mail January 6th 2016
JACK AND SARAH SENT: ‘ARE YOU TAUGHT TO HATE ME... LOVE MOM’
JUST hours after Molly Martens and her father were charged with murdering her husband, she sent a message to his children on Facebook, declaring that she loved and nurtured them to the best of her ability in ‘the environment we found ourselves’. Over the past months she has taken to Facebook making direct pleas to the children and often using pictures of them together. In one post she wondered if their ‘memories have been corrupted or polluted’ and if ‘someone has taught you to hate me’.
She wrote yesterday: ‘I have loved, nurtured and protected you to the best of my ability in the environment we found ourselves. I do not know what you will remember about our lives but I know some of the things you are being told. I pray one day you are able to remember with truth and clarity some of the events of our lives.
‘You are my heart and soul, my sunshine and my happy, and I will always love you.’
Following her post others went online to support her.
And on Monday she posted: ‘I cannot believe the level of slander, harassment, lies and absolute utter corruption. The truth does not matter. Shouldn’t the truth matter? Shouldn’t the truth prevail? Doesn’t anyone care about the truth?’ The post had been removed yesterday.
Ms Martens’ message to the children read: ‘Some things are hard to imagine. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make them less true. It is unbearable to think of people purposely teaching you to hate the mother that has raised, nurtured, and loved you for as long as you could remember.
‘It is wrong and it is not in the best interest of anyone, certainly not you. I will love you unconditionally. If your memories have been corrupted or polluted, if you believe somehow that I was a bad person or a bad mother... Even if someone has taught you to hate me, I will love you.’
Lexington Dispatch January 7th 2016
Warrants reveal more details in Irish man's death
New details surfaced Thursday surrounding the death of an Irish man who was killed last year at his home in Wallburg.
The release of multiple search warrants came days after 32-year-old Molly Martens Corbett and her 65-year-old father were indicted for second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in the death of her husband, 39-year-old Jason Corbett. A day after being indicted by a Davidson County Grand Jury, they appeared in court Tuesday and quickly posted $200,000 secured bonds. They are scheduled to appear Jan. 19 in court.
According to the court document, Thomas and Sharon Martens were visiting from their home in Knoxville, Tennessee. They were staying in the guest bedroom in the finished basement portion of the residence.
Thomas Martens is reported to have been awoken by the disturbance. According to the application for the search warrant, he went to the master bedroom and intervened with the use of an aluminum baseball bat, striking his son-in-law in the head while Sharon Martens stayed in the finished basement.
"Additional information received from business partners of Jason Corbett indicated that in preparation for that trip, Jason Corbett allegedly discussed transferring some of his financial assets to include large sums of money, $60,000 from his bank accounts here in the United States to his home back in Ireland," the court document reads. "Investigators also learned from members of the Corbett family that Jason Paul Corbett was possibly concerned about the spending habits of his American wife, Molly Martens Corbett. Both of these issues were allegedly a source of conflict between the couple.
Lexington Dispatch January 7th 2016
Mike Earnest Statement Video Link
Irish Daily Mail January 7th 2016
Corbett toys ‘strewn in the garden’
TOYS belonging to the orphaned Corbett children were strewn outside Molly Martens’s house yesterday.
Jack and Sarah’s legal guardian Tracey Lynch collected the sentimental items, as an uncle of murder accused Ms Martens defended her actions on the night Jason Corbett died. The belongings, which have been the subject of a protracted legal battle, had been haphazardly left in the driveway for collection, piled high and in full view of passers-by.
Mr and Mrs Lynch applied through the courts in North Carolina on December 14 to have personal belongings, including home videos made by Mr Corbett featuring his first wife and children, handed over by Ms Martens, his second wife who – along with her father Thomas – is accused of murdering Jason.
Other items included rings belonging to the children’s biological mother Mags Corbett, as well as photos of the family together before her tragic death in 2006.
Documents stated that following the decision to award custody of Sarah, nine, and Jack, 11, to their aunt Tracey and her husband David, attempts were made to obtain several of the children’s belongings.
In a motion filed by Tracey and David Lynch, they listed a number of items of sentimental importance to the children – in particular, hand and foot casts Mags and Jason made of the children soon after they were born; home videos of Jack’s second birthday and Sarah’s birth; Mag's engagement ring; and two eternity rings ‘gifted’ to Sarah. The court document stated that Mr and Mrs Lynch believed that the items were in Ms Martens’ possession and were being ‘kept from the minor children’ by her directly or by others at her direction.
As the drama unfolded at the old Corbett family home in the US yesterday, Molly Martens’ uncle claimed her life was in ‘mortal danger’ on the night her husband Jason Corbett was alleged to have been murdered by her and her father. Michael Earnest put emphasis on the fact the Limerick father of two weighed a lot more than his wife and father-in-law Thomas and that the bat used to allegedly kill Jason was ‘for a child’. He added that they used ‘necessary and justified actions’.
‘Tom Martens would have been incapable of doing anything other than protecting himself and protecting his daughter,’ he told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘In his training, there are only two instances were lethal force can be used and that’s when your wife is in mortal danger or a wife of another is in mortal danger. And I know Tom so well that those are the only two times that he would ever consider using any type of force.’
According to police, Mr Corbett, 39, was found bludgeoned to death on a bedroom floor in his luxury home. Officers responded to the scene following a 911 call made from inside the house by Mr Martens.
‘Tom Martens would have been incapable of doing anything other than protecting himself and protecting his daughter,’ he told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘In his training, there are only two instances were lethal force can be used and that’s when your wife is in mortal danger or a wife of another is in mortal danger. And I know Tom so well that those are the only two times that he would ever consider using any type of force.’
According to police, Mr Corbett, 39, was found bludgeoned to death on a bedroom floor in his luxury home. Officers responded to the scene following a 911 call made from inside the house by Mr Martens.
News and Record January 8th 2016
Autopsy: Jason Corbett died from blunt force trauma to the head
An Irish man found bludgeoned to death in August in the bedroom of his Davidson County home died of blunt force trauma to the head and had multiple cuts and skull fractures, according to an autopsy report released Friday. His wife, Molly Martens Corbett, 32, and her father, Thomas Michael Martens, 65, have been charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in his death. The two are claiming self-defense, according to their attorneys. Corbett’s body was found in the master bedroom of the house. The investigative report said large amounts of blood were found on the bedroom floor, walls and furniture.
The autopsy report describes Jason Corbett’s injuries in detail, including two large deep cuts to his scalp.
He also had multiple skull fractures, including at the base of the skull. Corbett also had bleeding in several areas of his brain, including between the two membranes that surround the brain and between the brain and its outer covering, the autopsy report said.
He also had bruises under his right eye and on the back of his left hand, according to the investigative report.
Jason Corbett had a blood alcohol content of 0.02 percent, far below the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
David Freedman, Martens’ attorney, and Walter Holton, who represents Molly Corbett, declined Thursday to comment on whether Jason Corbett was alleged to have physically abused his wife before.
Davidson County sheriff’s detectives said in search warrants that Jason Corbett’s family members told them that Jason was planning to go to Ireland on Aug. 21, 2015, with his two children to live there permanently and that he had sought to transfer his financial assets, including $60,000 from North Carolina, to Ireland.
Independent.ie January 8th 2016
Listen: Molly Martens dad's chilling 911 call: 'He's bleeding all over. I may have killed him'
THE father of Molly Martens Corbett told a US police dispatcher he believed he may have killed Irish man Jason Corbett. In a chilling 911 call made by Thomas Martens (65) on the night Mr Corbett (39) was killed, he is heard saying: "My daughter's husband, my son-in-law, got in a fight with my daughter. I intervened and I think he's in bad shape. We need help. He's bleeding all over. I may have killed him."
The dispatcher asked if Mr Corbett had been drinking, to which Mr Martens replied: "He had been drinking during the course of the day." She asked if he was conscious, to which Mr Martens replied: "No."
Then the dispatcher asked if he was breathing. Mr Martens said: "I can't tell."
WXII 12 January 8th 2016
DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. —
Search warrant documents released Thursday provided new details in the case of a man who was killed in his Davidson County home in August.
Jason Corbett, who was originally from Ireland, died in the early morning hours of Aug. 2 at his home on Panther Creek Court near Wallburg.
His wife, Molly Martens Corbett, and her father, Thomas Martens, turned themselves in Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. Both are being held under $200,000 secured bonds in the Davidson County jail.
The case has made major headlines in Ireland and has included a custody battle with Jason Corbett's children, Jack and Sarah.
Investigators allege in the warrant that the Martens "suddenly changed plans" on Aug. 1 to travel from their Knoxville, Tenn., home to North Carolina. According to the warrant, investigators said Jason Corbett may have planned to travel to Ireland without his wife in late August for the apparent purpose of moving himself and his children back to Ireland. Following Jason Corbett's death, a judge awarded custody to the children's aunt in Ireland. Investigators discussed money as a possible motive in Corbett's death, citing his "comfortable financial status," as well as the alleged large sums of money withdrawn from bank accounts jointly controlled by the couple since his death. Jason Corbett also was apparently concerned about Molly Corbett's spending habits, which was an ongoing conflict with the couple, investigators said in warrants.
Independent.ie January 8th 2016
'Molly just flipped and completely lost control at her wedding' - Jason Corbett's sister
MURDER accused Molly Martens Corbett has been portrayed as a violent fantasist who was anxious to leave her husband but desperate to keep custody of his children.
A sister of her slain husband Jason Corbett (39) has alleged Ms Martens (32) engaged in a series of incidents involving violence against her young stepson Jack. Tracey Lynch also claimed the murder accused confided to a family friend she "wanted to leave Jason because she did not love him any more and did not care what happened to him". However, she could not bring herself to leave because she had no rights to her husband's two children from a previous marriage.
Mrs Lynch said her brother made a deliberate decision to keep his Irish passport and those of the children because of "his concerns" about his wife. It is also claimed by Mrs Lynch in court papers that Ms Martens had a long history of lying, claiming she was an Olympic swimmer, a teacher, a foster parent to a six-year-old boy and a book editor. Mrs Lynch alleged Ms Martens would drink alcoholic margaritas throughout the day from a cup, including when she was driving Mr Corbett's young children.
It was claimed the beverage was so strong that when Mrs Lynch tried one, she later had to be helped to bed and was ill for two days.
The shocking claims are contained in affidavits and transcripts released by a court in the US.
Independent.ie January 8th 2016
Martens 'confessed' to sister-in-law over death of husband
Details of the alleged admission were outlined by the deceased's sister Tracey Lynch in court last August, but could not be reported until now. In a separate legal submission, Mrs Lynch also claimed Ms Martens had told a family friend she "wanted to leave Jason because she did not love him any more and did not care what happened to him". However, Ms Martens is alleged to have decided against this because she would have no right to his children.
The allegations were aired at a behind-closed-doors hearing to decide on the guardianship of Mr Corbett's two children
Mrs Lynch argued under questioning that the children needed protection from their stepmother, Ms Martens, who, she said, had admitted to killing her brother. "I spoke to Molly after the event, and her mother. Molly indicated she killed my brother," Mrs Lynch testified.
Other sensational allegations were made by Ms Lynch at the guardianship hearing.
These included claims that Ms Martens was violent towards Jack Corbett on a number of occasions and would scream at him. It was also claimed Ms Martens would drink margaritas from a cup throughout the day, including when she was driving the children. Ms Lynch said she had told Ms Martens she was "crazy" and shouldn't be doing it.
She alleged Ms Martens was prone to bouts of erratic behaviour and had said that she suffered from bipolar disorder.
Ms Lynch also told the court Ms Martens's relationship with the children was "unhealthy for very different reasons".
"Molly was very possessive of Sarah and didn't really demonstrate a caring for Jack," she testified.
Ms Martens has denied the claims made about her behaviour.
Irish Daily Mail January 8th 2016
FULL EXPLOSIVE DETAILS OF THE KILLING THAT’S SHOCKED A NATION:
US investigators last night released the damning details that led them to seek charges against Molly Martens and her father for the murder of Jason Corbett.
In an explosive dossier,
The shocking details were contained in a set of search warrant documents that were released by Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank.
The documents contain a series of affidavits from detectives assigned to investigate the case. In one affidavit, given by Detective B.M. Smith, he states that during initial interviews, ‘it was told that Jason Corbett was choking Molly Corbett inside the master bedroom door’.
The document states claims that Mr Martens was ‘awoken’ by a disturbance. He went to the master bedroom and intervened with the use of an aluminium baseball bat striking Mr Corbett in the head. Detective Smith says Mr Martens described the altercation as a ‘Donnybrook’ – a public fight or an uncontrolled argument.
He adds: ‘Throughout my law enforcement career, I have seen several what would be described ‘uncontrolled fights’. In my opinion, the struggle described by Ms Martens and her father ‘was not consistent with the evidence at the scene, particularly the master bedroom were Mr Corbett was killed’.
An affidavit given by Wanda Thompson, the lead detective in the case, states
‘Large sums of money have been removed’
that, through Mr Corbett’s colleagues and friends, she had learned that he was planning to return home on or around August 21
The document states claims that Mr Martens was ‘awoken’ by a disturbance. He went to the master bedroom and intervened with the use of an aluminium baseball bat striking Mr Corbett in the head. Detective Smith says Mr Martens described the altercation as a ‘Donnybrook’ – a public fight or an uncontrolled argument.
He adds: ‘Throughout my law enforcement career, I have seen several what would be described ‘uncontrolled fights’. In my opinion, the struggle described by Ms Martens and her father ‘was not consistent with the evidence at the scene, particularly the master bedroom were Mr Corbett was killed’.
An affidavit given by Wanda Thompson, the lead detective in the case, states
‘Large sums of money have been removed’
that, through Mr Corbett’s colleagues and friends, she had learned that he was planning to return home on or around August 21. US. Sources say he and his wife had argued furiously over his wishes to take his children back to Ireland and that she was determined to cling on to them.
Sources say the autopsy and crime scene evidence would be crucial to the case against Ms Martin and her father Thomas. The couple had discussed splitting after Mr Corbett repeatedly said he was homesick. He had moved to the US with the former nanny and his two children by his late wife in 2011.
Ms Martens had told a family friend Lynn Shanahan, in the summer of 2013, that she had spoken to lawyers about gaining legal custody of her step-children if a divorce was to go through.
The couple had been married in June 2011, two years before she confided in Ms Shanahan, and had started dating in 2008, two years after Mr Corbett’s wife Mags died from an asthma attack.
Ms Martens was the fourth nanny he had employed after his first wife’s death.
The Lynches hugged and consoled each other when they visited the house where Mr Corbett died after being hit with what is believed to have been a baseball bat. They were accompanied by police and court officials as they checked piles of toys which are to be shipped back to Ireland for the children.
Mr Lynch told the Irish Daily Mail the children were settled in Ireland and doing well.
She posted photos of them in much happier days and wrote: ‘I have loved, nurtured and protected you to the best of my ability in the environment we found ourselves. I do not know what you will remember about our lives but I know some of the things you are being told.
‘I pray one day you are able to remember with truth and clarity some of the events of our lives.
Independent.ie January 9th 2016
Slain Jason Corbett's concerns over wife Molly's spending habits
Slain Irishman Jason Corbett was worried about his wife's spending habits shortly before he was killed.
It is also claimed murder accused Molly Martens Corbett removed large sums of money from joint accounts after his death. The records show how detectives mixed long-established investigative techniques with newer forms of inquiry, including tracking information stored by Google and Facebook and a number of banks, as part of the probe.
One detective, WS Thompson, outlined how the Limerick-born pharmaceutical company worker had been planning a trip back to Ireland on August 21 "allegedly for the purpose of moving him and his minor children back to his native homeland permanently".
In preparation for that trip, Mr Corbett (39) had discussed transferring $60,000 (€55,200) from US bank accounts to his home bank in Ireland.
It said his plans to return home and his wife's spending habits "were allegedly a source of conflict between the couple". Attorneys handling Mr Corbett's estate also told detectives "large sums of money" were removed from joint accounts he held with Ms Martens after his death. "Jason Corbett's alleged comfortable financial status provides additional possible motive for his untimely death," the document said. As part of the probe, police also seized Mr Corbett's Dell Latitude computer.
Another detective, BM Smith, revealed in an affidavit that police did not believe the account of events given by Ms Martens and her father Thomas about Mr Corbett's killing.
Detective Smith said the scene was not consistent with claims by Mr Martens that there had been an uncontrolled fight prior to the killing.
According to detectives, Mr Martens admitted to detectives that they struck Mr Corbett in the head with a concrete paving brick and an aluminium baseball bat.
However, discrepancies have also emerged over Mr Martens' account of where he got the baseball bat. Mr Martens indicated he brought the bat to the residence as a gift to his step-grandson, Jack Corbett, but hadn't yet given it to him.
However, police suspect the bat used was one given to Jack the previous summer which was stored in a sports equipment bag in the garage.
If true, this undermines Mr Martens' story that he picked up the bat because it was close to him.
Independent.ie January 9th 2016
'It is heart-breaking to see the lack of respect they had for him and my parents' - Jason Corbett's family disgusted by lack of apology from the Martens. The family of slain Limerick man Jason Corbett have said they are disgusted those charged with his murder have never apologised for his killing. Mr Corbett's sister Marilyn said is it heartbreaking and no one has said 'sorry' to her parents since her brother was killed. And she maintained that she became ill when she read the court and autopsy reports outlining how her brother died.
"The one thing that is grating on my mind is that my parents lost their son and not one single member of the Martens family has muttered the words, 'I am sorry for the loss of your son'," said Marilyn Corbett.
"None of them have said anything to express sorrow for my parents losing their son," she added. "Not publicly, not privately. Not a letter, not a phone call. "It is heart-breaking to see the lack of respect they had for him and my parents. "It is hard to comprehend that someone can act that way. It is cold, it is calculated and it is heartless and those are mild words compared to what they (the Martens) actually are. There is no integrity there." His sister said it is difficult to read reports outlining how her brother died.
"I got the papers yesterday and when I saw them, I actually threw up. I was so upset," she said. "You cannot prepare yourself. You think that you can but it is impossible," she added.
"I was in shock with all of the news breaking, even though I already knew a lot of it. All of the publicity around it and going in to work (is difficult)."
"It is hard to believe that these people are so cold. That makes it so much harder to comprehend," she said. "In their eyes, we are nothing at all. They have destroyed our family's lives," she added.
Court documents in the US show that Mr Corbett's other sister Tracey Lynch was also concerned about Ms Martens' volatile temper and friends have said that Mr Corbett was also concerned about his wife's temper. Two days before he was killed, Mr Corbett left a social function in the US early after he became upset and annoyed at his wife jeering him about his weight. "They were out having dinner with some friends on the Friday before he died when Molly started fat-shaming him," said the family friend. "Jason always took it to heart and it upset him. He left Molly there that night and went home on his own. He was mortified. She used to always call him 'fat ass' and he never liked it." Mr Corbett was so conscious of his weight that he had lost nearly a stone in the month before he died. "He was due to be best man at his best friend's wedding next summer so they both had a bet about who was going to lose the most weight," said the family source. "Himself and his best friend Paul (Dillon) were very competitive but in a good way. They were always trying to better each other."
Irish Central January 14th 2016
Widow’s family investigated for attempts to access murdered Irishman’s office
The uncle of Molly Martens, charged with the murder of her Limerick-born husband Jason Corbett, is reportedly being investigated for attempting to gain access to Corbett’s office the day after his murder.
Mike Earnest, Martens’ maternal uncle who works for a US federal law enforcement authority called Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), is being questioned regarding alleged calls made to Corbett’s workplace, Multi-Packing Solutions, attempting to gain access to the office and telling staff he was a federal agent, Irish website Evoke.ie report. Although Earnest denies that he is under investigation, his employer SIGAR confirmed they were investigating contact he made with MPS on August 3. " SIGAR is conducting an administrative inquiry. We take all allegations seriously and review them thoroughly. Since this is a personnel matter we cannot comment further,” a spokesperson confirmed.
Martens’ uncle is now also believed to be under investigation for alleged attempts to enter Corbett’s office at MPS claiming he was doing so as part of his role as a federal agent. After staff contacted police regarding the call he was refused access. Evoke.ie alleges that the children's passports were in the office.
It is believed that Earnest also accompanied Martens to the office on August 4, two days after the death, as she collected her husband’s possessions as next of kin.
Earnest has denied the claims, stating that he does not believe he made any calls to the plant but that he and his wife had made a lot of phone calls on the day following Corbett’s death in assisting his niece to organize funeral arrangements, insurance and arrangements for the children. He believes that if he did make a call to the workplace then it would have been a “diplomatic” call about the death. “That is a complete lie and fabrication. There could be nothing further from the truth,” he said. “‘It’s one thing to tell a lie about an average citizen. It’s another to tell a lie about a sworn US federal agent.”
Irish Daily Mail January 18th 2016
A GENTLE GIANT WHO OUR FAMILY ADORED FROM THE VERY START
‘He was a good husband. He was a good dad’ "Molly never had to work and he spoiled her" THERE is a small grave at the back of Castlemungret cemetery in Co. Limerick. On it, a granite headstone with a striking picture of a beaming bride and groom depicts a couple in the thralls of newlywed bliss. The picture, chosen by the couple’s two orphaned children, shows Mag's and Jason Corbett, a couple who in death, as in life, remain side by side.
It is here that Jack and Sarah Corbett make visits to their mum and dad. Aged just 11 and nine, they are taken ‘when they ask to go’ and find comfort in the routine. They never leave the graveside without kissing the picture of their late parents. ‘It’s just devastating,’ says Mag's sister Catherine Fitzpatrick.
In recent days, as it emerged that Molly and her father will claim selfdefence, allegations that he was an abusive partner look set to form the thrust of an attack on his character. For Catherine, the claims are seen as a shocking attack on the brother-in-law she loved. She lived with her sister and Jason on two separate occasions during their relationship — for six months before they were married, and for nine months prior to Mags’ death. Behind the closed quarters of their family home, not once did she witness any abuse, physical or verbal. ‘I never worried about my sister when she was with Jason,’ she says adamantly. ‘He never raised his voice, never raised his hand. Never, ever. Even if it was something that happened when I wasn’t there, Mags would have told me. ‘It would never have been part of their life. It never came on the radar. He was a doting husband and father and he gave them a great life. From what I saw in later years, he gave Molly a great life as well. Any suggestion otherwise is deeply damaging to his memory and that of my sister
‘It’s beyond reason,’ she says, her eyes flared with anger and tears. ‘If all this was going on behind closed doors why on earth would Jason bring my parents over to the States and run the risk of them witnessing it? ‘He had me over as well and countless others. No one saw anything but the Jason we had known before. Tragically, in the early hours of November 23, 2006, their blissful future together was brutally cut short. ‘I was there in the house that night when Mags passed away,’ says Catherine. ‘Mags had asthma all her life. It’s in the family, I have two brothers with it as well. It wasn’t bad, not anything that you would have been worried about.
‘That night, she gave out to the two of us because neither of us emptied the dishwasher. At 2.05am Jason knocked on my door and said he needed to bring Mags to hospital, that she was having a bit of an attack. I knew it was something different, something serious.
‘I knew there was something wrong when she got into the car in her pyjamas because she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without getting herself organised. They met the ambulance
halfway and he tried to revive her in the car. He did everything. He was devastated, totally, totally heartbroken. We all were.’
A widower at just 30, Jason Corbett was left with a two-year-old son and a 12-week-old daughter.
‘I stayed on to help Jason,’ says Catherine. ‘But I needed to stay on for me, too. Eventually I had to go back to work and so did he. We shared the duties. He would drop the kids off and I would collect them. If I was home first I would make the dinner and if he was home first he would do it.
‘But my house was sitting [ready] and it was time for me to move on. He needed to get on with things as well. I was a constant reminder of Mags for him, we were very alike. He was just a broken man. He used to go to the grave on his lunch and read his newspapers and talk to her. The groundsman told my father that recently.’
Almost a year-and-a-half after Mags’ passing, Jason returned to fulltime hours at work. Jack and Sarah were being cared for in the crèche, but the father-of-two needed more help.
After advertising for a nanny, Molly Martens, a striking blonde from Tennessee, flew to Ireland and took up the job. ‘He had two or three au pairs before that,’ Catherine says. ‘The language barrier was an issue so he wanted someone English-speaking. Obviously we were cautious about anyone who came into the house, that was a natural instinct.
Evoke February 2nd 2016
Latest twist in Molly Martens’ ongoing legal battle with Jason’s family
A judge is to decide whether Molly Martens breached a court order which prevented her from removing items from the home she shared with her late husband. Yesterday, Ms Martens appeared in a North Carolina court on matters regarding removal of items from the home. In the latest twist to the high profile case, a lawyer representing David Lynch went through an inventory of personal belongings removed from the Corbett home at the request of Ms Martens. According to a consent order in September 2015, Ms Martens said she would not remove items belonging to Mr Corbett from the home. According to a consent order in September 2015, Ms Martens said she would not remove items belonging to Mr Corbett from the home. The credit card was paid out of a joint account she had with Mr Corbett and the Bank of America account was mostly contributed to by Mr Corbett. The court did not make a decision yesterday on whether the consent order had been violated
Irish Daily Mail March 4th 2016
Jason Corbett gave Molly Marten’s parents $80k before his death
Molly grilled as it emerges murder co-accused father got money. MURDERED father- of- two Jason Corbett transferred $80,000 to Molly Marten’s parents – one of whom is accused of his murder – in May 2011. The revelation came as the Limerick man’s second wife, who also stands accused of his murder, answered questions about allegedly breaching a court order by having furniture and other items removed from the house where he died.
During the grilling she admitted that she was a stay-at-home wife who did not contribute much income to purchase many of the items in question. Molly Martens, of Panther Creek Court, testified for nearly two hours regarding the controversial removal of property from the home on January 21. She had been summoned to the court by lawyers acting for Mr Corbett’s sister Tracey Lynch. The news of the clear-out of the house that Jason had shared with his second wife Molly, prompted Ms Lynch to contact her US lawyers over the matter.
Presiding over the hearing, Davidson County Clerk of the Superior Court, Brian Shipwash, withheld a decision on the claim, saying petitioners were unable to point out specific violations, leaving him to sort through testimony and records to determine if any violation occurred. Attorney Edward Griggs questioned Ms Martens about items removed from the home by her legal team and family.
Mr Griggs went item by item asking about her acquisition of everything taken from the home and who paid for any items purchased by the family. During her testimony, Ms Martens claimed the purchase of many items, saying she used a Chase credit card under her name to pay for furniture, groceries and clothing. Money to pay the credit card bills, she said, was taken from a joint bank account s hared between her and her husband. Ms Martens admitted to supplying ‘ not a significant’ amount of money to the joint account, saying she primarily stayed home with Mr Corbett’s two children. ‘He worked and he was my husband,’ she said of Jason Corbett. ‘I stayed home and was his wife.’
Mr Griggs asserted to the court even though Molly Martens’s name appeared on the credit card, funding for the bills came from an account supported primarily from her husband’s income. Those purchases, he said, cannot then be claimed as her property, rather that of the estate. Mr Griggs also raised questions about a transfer from the account of Jason Corbett to Molly Martens’s parents in the amount of $80,000 in May 2011. After her testimony, Mr Griggs asked for a pursuit of discovery, which would give him the authority to access bank records to determine if Jason Corbett provided money to Molly’s parents for any of the items in the home. Defending Ms Martens, attorney Bryan Thompson called for a denial of any violation by taking items, saying Mr Griggs and his team had had their day in court and were unable to provide any witness or testimony proving a violation occurred. Thompson said approximately $12,000 is owed on the Chase credit card and is being paid solely by Molly Martens. Ms Martens said she was recently working as a sales associate for Chico’s women’s clothing outlet in Knoxville, Tennessee, before being put on temporary suspension while her murder trial plays out.