Latest news with #MollyMartens
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Daughter of Irish man beaten to death by American wife, her ex-FBI agent father rejects self-defense claims
A new documentary raises questions about the 2015 murder of an Irish-born man in his North Carolina home. Jason Corbett's American wife, Molly Martens, and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, confessed to beating Corbett to death on Aug. 2, 2015, but they have maintained that they were acting in self-defense after Corbett apparently tried to choke his wife. "There were times when I thought, 'I'm gonna die,'" Molly Martens says in the documentary. The Martens were convicted in Corbett's death in 2017, but their convictions were overturned on appeal. In 2023, Thomas Martens pleaded guilty to beating Corbett to death with a bat and Molly Martens pleaded no contest, prompting their respective releases from prison in 2024. Model, Ex-fbi Agent Who Claimed Self-defense Plead In Her Irish Businessman Husband's Killing A Netflix documentary titled "A Deadly American Marriage," which premiered on May 9, follows the case and its many lingering questions, featuring interviews with both sides of the family, including Molly and Thomas Martens, as well as Corbett's two children, Jack and Sarah. Read On The Fox News App The filmmakers also spoke with Corbett's sister, who lives in Ireland and was eventually granted custody of her brother's two children with his first wife because she was listed as their legal guardian if anything ever happened to him. Model, 33, And Her Ex-fbi Agent Father Get 20 Years In Prison For Killing Husband Sarah told Fox News Digital she does not think her father got justice. "I definitely don't think justice has been served. I don't think it could ever be served, but definitely not what the Martens were given," she said. Now the author of a memoir titled, "A Time for Truth," Sarah says she felt the documentary accurately portrayed both her family and the Martens. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X While the film leaves viewers with lingering questions, Sarah remains firm in her belief about what happened to her father. "Everyone knows that I believe that Molly and Tom murdered my dad. That's my belief," she said. "But that's not what they were convicted of. There's a lot of evidence [in 'A Time for Truth'] that points to that that doesn't get shown anywhere else. So, I think the book has a lot more detail in it." Ex-fbi Agent, Daughter Charged With Murdering Woman's Husband She added that her book is "not just sad" and has happy anecdotes about her father, as well. Fox News Digital reached out to Molly and Thomas Martens' respective attorneys. Molly Martens alleged that her husband was choking her when her father walked into the room and the deadly confrontation began, per local outlet WXII. A medical examiner determined that Corbett had injuries to his arms, legs and torso, as well as a fractured skull. The medical examiner said the man died of blunt force trauma and sustained at least 10 hits to the head. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter Corbett and Molly Martens met in 2008 following the death of Corbett's late wife, who suffered an asthma attack. Corbett then advertised for an au pair to help him care for his two children with his late wife and gave Molly the job. They were engaged in 2010 and married in 2011. Idaho Murders Timeline: Bryan Kohberger Plea Caps Yearslong Quest For Justice A former North Carolina FBI agent and prosecutor who knew of Thomas Martens said he was a talented agent who supervised a team of employees in Greensboro. "He had a good reputation – a very good reputation," Chris Swecker, now an attorney, told Fox News Digital. "He was in the Greensboro office of the FBI for a good while. I believe he was the supervisory resident agent up in Greensboro, which meant he was in charge of maybe 15 or 20 agents in a pretty active office in the Bureau." Swecker added that Thomas Martens would have had plenty of experience conducting interrogations, and that would have helped him as police interrogated him in Corbett's killing. "Without a doubt," Swecker said when asked if Thomas Martens' professional experience would help him in an interrogation. "He knows where the interrogator is going when he asks a question and… the piece of evidence or point he's trying to extract from him. It's a chess game, if you're trying to protect yourself and your daughter, for example." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES AT THE FOX NEWS True Crime Hub The former FBI agent described Corbett's killing as "one of those cases where you wonder if you ever really get the answers, and there's only two people that will ever know, and it's Tom and his daughter."Original article source: Daughter of Irish man beaten to death by American wife, her ex-FBI agent father rejects self-defense claims
Fox News
06-07-2025
- Fox News
Daughter of Irish man beaten to death by American wife, her ex-FBI agent father rejects self-defense claims
A new documentary raises questions about the 2015 murder of an Irish-born man in his North Carolina home. Jason Corbett's American wife, Molly Martens, and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, confessed to beating Corbett to death on Aug. 2, 2015, but they have maintained that they were acting in self-defense after Corbett apparently tried to choke his wife. "There were times when I thought, 'I'm gonna die,'" Molly Martens says in the documentary. The Martens were convicted in Corbett's death in 2017, but their convictions were overturned on appeal. In 2023, Thomas Martens pleaded guilty to beating Corbett to death with a bat and Molly Martens pleaded no contest, prompting their respective releases from prison in 2024. A Netflix documentary titled "A Deadly American Marriage," which premiered on May 9, follows the case and its many lingering questions, featuring interviews with both sides of the family, including Molly and Thomas Martens, as well as Corbett's two children, Jack and Sarah. The filmmakers also spoke with Corbett's sister, who lives in Ireland and was eventually granted custody of her brother's two children with his first wife because she was listed as their legal guardian if anything ever happened to him. Sarah told Fox News Digital she does not think her father got justice. "I definitely don't think justice has been served. I don't think it could ever be served, but definitely not what the Martens were given," she said. Now the author of a memoir titled, "A Time for Truth," Sarah says she felt the documentary accurately portrayed both her family and the Martens. While the film leaves viewers with lingering questions, Sarah remains firm in her belief about what happened to her father. "Everyone knows that I believe that Molly and Tom murdered my dad. That's my belief," she said. "But that's not what they were convicted of. There's a lot of evidence [in 'A Time for Truth'] that points to that that doesn't get shown anywhere else. So, I think the book has a lot more detail in it." She added that her book is "not just sad" and has happy anecdotes about her father, as well. Fox News Digital reached out to Molly and Thomas Martens' respective attorneys. Molly Martens alleged that her husband was choking her when her father walked into the room and the deadly confrontation began, per local outlet WXII. A medical examiner determined that Corbett had injuries to his arms, legs and torso, as well as a fractured skull. The medical examiner said the man died of blunt force trauma and sustained at least 10 hits to the head. Corbett and Molly Martens met in 2008 following the death of Corbett's late wife, who suffered an asthma attack. Corbett then advertised for an au pair to help him care for his two children with his late wife and gave Molly the job. They were engaged in 2010 and married in 2011. A former North Carolina FBI agent and prosecutor who knew of Thomas Martens said he was a talented agent who supervised a team of employees in Greensboro. "He had a good reputation – a very good reputation," Chris Swecker, now an attorney, told Fox News Digital. "He was in the Greensboro office of the FBI for a good while. I believe he was the supervisory resident agent up in Greensboro, which meant he was in charge of maybe 15 or 20 agents in a pretty active office in the Bureau." Swecker added that Thomas Martens would have had plenty of experience conducting interrogations, and that would have helped him as police interrogated him in Corbett's killing. "Without a doubt," Swecker said when asked if Thomas Martens' professional experience would help him in an interrogation. "He knows where the interrogator is going when he asks a question and… the piece of evidence or point he's trying to extract from him. It's a chess game, if you're trying to protect yourself and your daughter, for example." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES AT THE FOX NEWS TRUE CRIME HUB The former FBI agent described Corbett's killing as "one of those cases where you wonder if you ever really get the answers, and there's only two people that will ever know, and it's Tom and his daughter."
Sunday World
18-06-2025
- Sunday World
Killers Tom and Molly Martens can now live and travel freely as parole terms end
Ms Martens is now expected to move back into her family home after having lived in the basement of a home owned by friends of her parents Molly Martens and Jason Corbett on their wedding day in 2011 Molly Martens Corbett arrives with an attorney at the Davidson County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. Photo: Donnie Roberts/The Dispatch Killer father and daughter Tom and Molly Martens have officially concluded their parole terms following their release from prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Irish businessman Jason Corbett. It means both may resume unrestricted travel across the United States – and will also be able to live at their family home as, until now, as convicted felons, neither could share the same address. Under the terms of their parole, the pair, now aged 75 and 41, were prevented from having any contact – direct or indirect/electronic –with Mr Corbett's family and his two children, Jack and Sarah. Thomas Martens arrives at court in Lexington, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Photo: Jerry Wolford Ms Martens and her father, who is a former FBI agent, were released from prison on June 6, 2024, after serving four years and three months for the brutal killing of the Limerick widower (39). Both had been convicted of the Irish businessman's murder but successfully overturned it on appeal – and then secured a plea bargain deal in October 2023 whereby they admitted the voluntary manslaughter of the father of two. North Carolina authorities late last year allowed the parole supervision of the family's former nanny to be transferred to her native Tennessee. She was living in the basement of a home belonging to friends of her parents in Knoxville, Tennessee – a short distance from her own family home. With the ending of her parole, Ms Martens is expected to move back into her family home with her parents, Tom and Sharon. Sharon has been battling cancer over recent years. His family have always maintained he was killed because he planned to bring his two children back to Ireland Ms Martens indicated to the courts that she hopes to begin studies for a science degree next September. The parole control period for the father and daughter ended on June 6 – but North Carolina and Tennessee authorities had to process documentation before confirming parole restrictions had finished. Mr Corbett, a Limerick packaging industry executive, was beaten to death on August 2, 2015 in the bedroom of his luxury North Carolina home by the father and daughter. His family have always maintained he was killed by his American second wife and father in law because he planned to bring his two children back to Ireland. Both Tom and Molly Martens insisted they acted in self defence –but the pair were found totally uninjured at the scene whereas Mr Corbett's skull had been so badly shattered that a pathologist warned he could not accurately count the number of blows inflicted. Molly Martens and Jason Corbett on their wedding day in 2011 One forensic expert indicated he was asleep in bed when the initial blow was struck. Prosecutors claimed seven years ago that an attempt had been made to drug Mr Corbett before he was fatally assaulted. His killers then delayed calling police and paramedics to ensure he was dead before they arrived. Mr Corbett's life insurance policy had been changed by remote means several weeks earlier to exclude his two children, with the entire benefits of the policy going to Ms Martens. The Martens served three years and eight months of 20-25 year prison terms before their convictions were overturned by the North Carolina Supreme Court. Molly Martens Corbett arrives with an attorney at the Davidson County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. Photo: Donnie Roberts/The Dispatch News in 90 Seconds - June 17th
Irish Times
16-06-2025
- Irish Times
Jason Corbett's killers, Molly and Tom Martens, complete North Carolina parole
Tom and Molly Martens , the North Carolina father and daughter jailed for the killing of Limerick man Jason Corbett , have completed their parole. Records from the North Carolina Department of Corrections show the pair's one-year parole period was officially terminated on June 6th. During that time, Tom Martens (75), a former FBI agent, and his daughter Molly (41) were subject to strict conditions, including where they could live and travel. They were also subject to monitoring by parole officials in Davidson County, North Carolina. READ MORE Neither came to the attention of authorities during this period, meaning they can now move freely within the United States and live together in the family home. Their parole status has been officially changed to 'inactive', records show. The killing of Mr Corbett, who was married to Molly, was recently the subject of a high-profile Netflix documentary which interviewed the victim's two children as well as the perpetrators. [ Netflix documentary sheds new light on Jason Corbett killing Opens in new window ] In October 2023, the Martens were sentenced to a minimum of four years to include time already served under a plea deal they accepted for the voluntary manslaughter of Mr Corbett. Both were released from prison just more than a year ago. In their original 2017 trial, the Martens were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to between 20 and 25 years. The court heard that in the early hours of August 2nd, 2015, paramedics were called to the home Mr Corbett (39) shared with Molly and his two young children Jack and Sarah, from a previous marriage in Ireland, at Panther Creek Court in a suburb of the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem. Jason Corbett was killed by the Martens in August 2015. Photograph: Brendan Gleeson They found Ms Martens attempting to carry out CPR on Mr Corbett, who had suffered traumatic injuries. State prosecutors argued that the victim had been beaten to death with a baseball bat and a paving brick by Tom Martens because the Martens feared that if Mr Corbett returned to Ireland, the children would be taken from Molly Martens. The prosecution also made the case that Molly Martens would benefit from a $600,000 (€518,000) life insurance policy. In their defence, the Martens argued the killing was in self-defence against an abusive spouse. [ Opinion: Molly Martens assassinated her husband's reputation Opens in new window ] Their 2017 second-degree murder conviction was overturned on appeal in 2020 and the retrial was moved from Davidson to Forsyth County due to the intensity of the media and public interest in the story. Before the retrial began, the Martens accepted a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter in October 2023. The district attorney dropped the murder charges, but Judge David Hall advised them that a 'no-contest' admission, under North Carolina law, was taken to be an admission of a guilty plea. Under the deal, Thomas Martens admitted hitting Mr Corbett on the head with a metal baseball bat and his daughter admitted striking him on the head or shoulder with a concrete landscaping brick. The plea agreement stated that the 'autopsy and circumstances of the scene establish that at least some of the fatal blows inflicted were of a nature, number and level of force that exceeded what could have been reasonably necessary in furtherance of perfect self-defence'.
Irish Independent
16-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Killers Tom and Molly Martens can now live and travel freely as parole terms come to end
Killer father and daughter Tom and Molly Martens have officially concluded their parole terms following their release from prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Irish businessman Jason Corbett.
