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Child Item

The trial of Molly Martens

Muahahaha

Been following this for the last while. Limerick man Jason Corbett was clubbed to death in his North Carolina home by his father in law,Thomas Martens, who was a former FBI agent. Jasons wife, Molly Martens-Corbett looked on as this happened.

The father and daughters defence is that the father heard noises coming from upstairs in the house so he grabbed a baseball bat. He went upstairs to the master bedroom where he claims he saw Jason with his hands around Mollys neck threatening to kill her. His defence is that he killed Jason in self defence for him and his daughter. Forensics say that a landscape stone was also used and that his skull was badly smashed having being struck at least ten times on the head. It happened at around 3am and Jason Corbett was found dead when emergency services arrived.

The prosecution is saying that the playing of the 911 emergency tape will show that Molly and her father Thomas were very calm while Jason was dying. They will also say that neither of the accused had any marks on them that indicate Jason attacked them.

Trial is expected to last 3-4 weeks, this local newspaper seems to be a good source of the court reporting
http://www.the-dispatch.com/news/20170725/testimony-begins-in-corbett-murder-trial

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tibruit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304633#Comment_121304633

What shall I do?? Batter him to death with a baseball bat or leave him......batter him with the bat or leave him....hmmm. Decisions decisions.

Mitigating circumstances how are ya.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304432#Comment_121304432

Supreme Court majority decisions are always damning. The admissibility of the evidence in a new trial is the main reason for the plea deal.

I don't think the ire should be directed at the Supreme Court, it should be at the original trial judge though.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303996#Comment_121303996

Well if they've made the claim stick, it puts a different complexion on matters. If she genuinely thought she was at risk and had good reason then whether or not it was fully true, it would mitigate matters.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303996#Comment_121303996

The Michael Peterson trial which was made into a Netflix series had a similar claim, Petersons ex partner died in Germany as a result of stoke or similar ,in his trial for the death of his wife years later it was claimed he murdered his then partner a witness has made various claims about what she saw ,all proven false but they were still presented as fact

pjohnson

Any judge would need to have a fairly significant mental illness to actually believe the absolute fairytales that the Martens are dribbling out.

The relevant question is how big a brown envelope can an ex-FBI man give the judge?

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304414#Comment_121304414

Majority decision so hardly damning

[Deleted User]

You'd prefer of they were just let off st this stage. Kids have been through enough and will be old enough now to know and fully understand what is going on. Let sleeping dogs lie as such i suppose.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304368#Comment_121304368

Trials are expensive - this was covered off in the newspapers around the time of their successful appeal - that’s why I’m referring to the political angle that can’t be totally discounted here.

Cost is a factor in any trial but no the determining one. Chances of conviction would out weigh it.

What political angle?

The Supreme Court ruled that the original trial judge was incompetent to the point that trial was unfair.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304214#Comment_121304214

Hopefully. I think ironically the father has a much better chance of walking free than she does- it’s obvious that she’s taken no responsibility and still hides behind the apron strings of her parents - if there was only one person to go back to jail I’d actually wish it was her.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304246#Comment_121304246

Trials are expensive - this was covered off in the newspapers around the time of their successful appeal - that’s why I’m referring to the political angle that can’t be totally discounted here. There’s justice and then there’s American justice which I sometimes just don’t understand in terms of some of the decisions made.

In terms of “witnesses” :

“Mr Martens' has claimed that he was approached by Margaret's father, Michael Fitzpatrick, at Molly's wedding to Jason.

The motion reads: 'On that occasion, Mr Fitzpatrick told Mr Martens that he believed that Jason Corbett had caused the death of his daughter Margaret,' according to the Irish Independent.

https://evoke.ie/2017/06/09/news/irish-news/jason-corbetts-father-in-law-claim-first-marriage

this statement was proven false or at least strongly rebutted by the good Michael Fitzpatrick himself before his death

https://evoke.ie/2017/08/04/news/irish-news/father-of-jasons-first-wife-refutes-claim-murderer

Boggles

The pre-sentencing hearing in the Jason Corbett manslaughter case has been told by defence lawyers acting for his wife Molly Martens Corbett said they will present evidence and witnesses to the court that will call into question the cause of death of Mr Corbett's first wife.

What evidence or witnesses could they possibly have?

Were these introduced in the first trial or were they precluded by the judge which led to successful appeal?

Very strange this is not going to full trial given the facts as we know them.

Water John

Molly entered no plea, so in effect she has not accepted the manslaughter guilty verdict. Judge may view this as her not being in any way contrite. There is no jury, judge alone decides. Remember a previous judge made sure the children were gone out of the country, before it became known custody was awarded to Jason's sister and husband. They know what they are dealing with. Just wish they recognise that in sentencing.

Higgins5473

Very little consolation to the family but this woman has had problems all her life, is mentally deranged and problems and trouble will follow her wherever she goes. It won’t be long before she gets caught up in some other kinds of incidents which will hopefully cause her own family further stress and heartache. I hope her father suffers as much of this as possible for the remainder of his years.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304134#Comment_121304134

I’d like to think you’re correct and certainly in an Irish court I’d have plenty of faith that the judges would see through this charade - it actually makes no sense anyway because her life was never in danger- he was deliberately drugged- he couldn’t have hurt her that night - the only conclusion is that they planned to kill him -I see the judge is a republican - not up for re-election again until 2028 I think- Certainly that aspect favours the defence I guess - let’s hope justice really is blind

beertons

I reckon they'll be out with time served. I hope I'm wrong.

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303996#Comment_121303996

I now see that this issue was raised by Thomas Martens during the original trial and the mother of Jason’s first wife wrote a powerful letter in defence of Jason.

This could backfire for Molly. If the court doesn’t believe her, it will increase her sentence because, far from showing remorse, she is willing to go on attacking Jason in his grave.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/what-they-did-to-jason-was-despicable-mother-of-jason-corbetts-first-wife-says-he-was-a-great-dad-and-a-family-man/36018285.html

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304098#Comment_121304098

They’ve maintained this stance from the first trial but it’s seeing it in black and white now that’s kindof sick. Anyway one must have faith that justice will prevail - I’d say they’re looking at a scale of time served to an additional 3 years at most - I personally don’t see them entering a jail again

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121304070#Comment_121304070

I mean the only hope here is that whatever judge is presiding over this fiasco will see this piece of sh1t for what it is but you just never know - at least there’s Jason’s family there so hopefully the prosecution will fiercely refute this fiction

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303996#Comment_121303996

That’s a twist that Hitchcock would admire!

The defence does not need to prove the first wife was murdered - it simply needs to convince the court that she had a genuine fear and that this was a mitigating circumstance.

If there was no inquest in 2006, it will be very difficult to challenge this claim.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303899#Comment_121303899

Money. Trials are expensive

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121303996#Comment_121303996

WTF

Oscar_Madison

FfS- absolute pr1cks

The pre-sentencing hearing in the Jason Corbett manslaughter case has been told by defence lawyers acting for his wife Molly Martens Corbett said they will present evidence and witnesses to the court that will call into question the cause of death of Mr Corbett's first wife.

Martens Corbett had come to believe that her husband had killed his first wife and was fearful that the same fate would befall her, the Lexington County Superior Court in North Carolina was told.

The claim was made by Douglas Kingsberry, defence counsel for Martens Corbett, who said there was evidence that Mr Corbett’s first wife Margaret did not die of asthma in 2006, and that she may have been strangled.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/1031/1413808-molly-martens/

kowloonkev

I don't understand the benefits of a plea deal for the prosecution unless another chunk of jail time is guaranteed. Why would they agree to that?

Photobox

Sickening

captbarnacles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121302216#Comment_121302216

Original prosecutor said they were lucky not to be charged with first degree murder because there was enough evidence!

I really hope the Corbetts sue them in civil court. They've plead guilty so will only be a question of how much.

Revolting pair. Molly Martens claiming again she thought he'd killed his first wife. Trash.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121302978#Comment_121302978

Their original conviction was quashed

That is a massive feck up

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121301831#Comment_121301831

I don’t see this as a **** up by the prosecution - I’d say this is a deliberate politically motivated decision - state doesn’t have the appetite to spend money it doesn’t have on a 2nd prosecution of a former FBI agent - it’s a monetary and political decision - this is way down their agenda

Oscar_Madison

Reading this article - apparently 9 years is the higher sentence area for this crime- having served just over 3 I’d say the judge might settle on 6 years and considering some time served she may suspend the rest if a suspended sentence is allowed in this case-. White middle class former FBI - there’s a small chance of another 18 months to 2 years but honestly don’t think that will happen

https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/world-crime/tom-and-molly-martens-plead-guilty-to-killing-of-jason-corbett/a1094940300.html

Water John

Well they are found guilty, even though Molly entered no plea, the judge said the court took it as a guilty plea. They are forever branded as murderers and Jason Corbett an innocent man.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121302621#Comment_121302621

Oh I’d love if she stepped into Ireland - it would be some Chead Mille Failte for her that’s for sure