The murder of Jason Corbett: The case in full as his killers are granted early release

Kat O'Connor

Jason Corbett was tragically murdered in 2015

The murder of Jason Corbett has hit headlines again this week after it was revealed that Molly and Tom Martens are set to be released from prison early.

The father and daughter are currently in prison for the manslaughter of the Limerick man.

Earlier this week, North Carolina officials confirmed that they will be released from prison on June 6th.

There has understandably been major uproar following the news, especially from the Irish public.

Molly Martens is set for release on June 27th, but her date may be moved up after news of her father’s release on June 6th.

What happened to Jason Corbett?

In the early hours of the morning on August 2nd, 2015, a call was made to emergency services from a quiet suburban area in North Carolina.

Thomas Martens urged emergency services to help after an incident at their home.

“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 said.

He claims Jason Corbett attempted to strangle his daughter and even said he was going to kill her.

He told the operator: “He’s bleeding all over and I may have killed him.”

Emergency services rushed to the scene but unfortunately, it was too late to save Mr. Corbett.

Mr. Corbett suffered extreme injuries, but coroners confirmed he died from blunt-force head trauma.

How did he meet Molly Martens?

Following the harrowing loss of his first wife, Mags, Jason had to raise his two children on his own. He decided to hire an au pair to help with his children. Molly Martens, originally from Tennessee, applied for the job after she moved from the USA to Ireland.

The pair started to date, but Molly admitted she was feeling homesick in Ireland so Jason decided to move over to America with his two children so they could live in North Carolina together.

Jason’s family confirmed his home life was not healthy. According to Jason’s loved ones, their home life was deteriorating. Following their 2011 wedding, Molly secretly consulted a lawyer to ask about leaving Jason but adopting his two children.

Jason refused to let Molly adopt his two children, Jack and Sarah. His family claims he was hoping to return to Ireland with his young children and had even organised a trip home to Ireland before his untimely death.

Jason reportedly told his family that he wanted to leave Molly and return home to Ireland, but he never got the chance to.

What happened on the night of Corbett’s murder?

Jason was living with Molly Martens and his two children from his first marriage at their home in Panther Creek, Davidson County.

His in-laws were visiting at the time because they wanted to spend time with Molly, Jason, and his two children, Jack and Sarah.

During the night, Mr. Martens claims he heard a disturbance in the master bedroom. He decided to check if everything was okay but entered the room to find Mr. Corbett allegedly choking his daughter. He tried to intervene by hitting Mr. Corbett with a baseball bat that was in the room.

However, police also discovered that he was also hit with a concrete paving brick during the “uncontrolled attack”.

Investigating officers were uncertain about Molly and Thomas Martens’ accounts because neither of them had suffered any injuries.

They were also suspicious of Thomas Martens and his decision to bring the baseball bat to his daughter and her husband’s room.

Molly and Tom Martens sentenced in court

Molly and Tom Martens were charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

They both claim they acted in self-defense, but their convictions were rejected by an appeals court.

Last November, both Molly Martens and her father agreed to a plea deal. Thomas Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, but Molly Martens did not.

They were both sentenced to a minimum of 54 months and a maximum of 74 months in prison.

Jason Corbett is survived by his two children, Sarah and Jack.