US plea deal could see Tom and Molly Martens released from prison in just 22 months over Jason Corbett killing

Killers Tom and Molly Martens may serve as little as 22 months extra in US prisons under a controversial plea bargain.

The father and daughter were yesterday transferred back to Davidson County jail from two separate North Carolina prisons under the terms of a NC Supreme Court ruling in March which quashed their second degree murder convictions for the killing of Irish father of two Jason Corbett (39).

The former FBI agent (71) and his daughter (37), a nanny, had been serving 20-25 years for the brutal murder of the Limerick widower who was beaten to death in the bedroom of his Winston-Salem home with a metal baseball bat and a concrete paving slab on August 2, 2015.

While Mr Corbett's family have campaigned for a full retrial, Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank has now decided to offer the Martens a plea bargain deal.

Under North Carolina law, a retrial in such circumstances is not automatic and is entirely at the discretion of the district attorney involved.

Mr Corbett's sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, who had flown to North Carolina last week with her family to meet with Mr Frank and Davidson County police, admitted her family were "devastated" by the decision.

"The simple truth is Molly Martens killed Jason Corbett to get his (two) children. The District Attorney for Davidson County has let her and her father get away with murder,” she said.

Mr Corbett, a Limerick packaging industry executive, lost his first wife to a tragic asthma attack in November 2006. He married Molly Martens in June 2011 after meeting her when she travelled to Ireland to work as a nanny for his children.

He was totally unaware of her history of mental health problems.

On August 2, 2015, he was drugged, attacked while he was asleep in bed, and savagely beaten even after he was dead.

The father and daughter then delayed calling emergency services just to ensure he was dead.

While both claimed they acted in self-defence, they were found totally uninjured at the scene without a bruise or even a cut.

In contrast, Mr Corbett's skull was so badly shattered a pathologist could not count the number of blows he suffered.

Under the terms of the prosecution offer, the father and daughter will now have to plead guilty to the manslaughter or unlawful killing of Mr Corbett.

The minimum guideline sentence for such an offence in North Carolina is five years and seven months (67 months) in prison

A maximum sentence with aggravating factors is nine years (108 months).

However, legal sources said any sentence will likely be closer to the minimum term.

The father and daughter have now served almost four years (45 months) of their original prison term for second degree murder.

If they accept the plea bargain deal, they will face serving only a further 22 months before likely being released.

Both will now consult with their legal teams over the offer which, the Irish Independent understands, must be accepted within seven days.

The father and daughter have the right to apply for release on bail from Friday (April 2).

It is expected they will seek release on bail pending a final decision on the plea bargain offer.

Both are expected, if released from custody, to return to their family home at Knoxville in Tennessee.

Connor Martens, son of Tom Martens and brother of Molly Martens, revealed his sister collapsed in prison when she was told the news of the NC Supreme Court decision to quash their convictions.
"I know the attorneys need to meet about a potential new trial or if there is a plea etc," he said.
However, if the duo refuse the plea bargain offer they will face a full retrial on a second degree murder charge.
Tracey Corbett-Lynch has already confirmed that her brother's two children, Jack (16) and Sarah (14), who were left orphaned by their father's killing, are adamant they want to offer evidence at a retrial and "have their voices heard”.

Both Jack and Sarah Corbett-Lynch expressed outrage at the plea deal offer - with Sarah insisting her father's death was murder.

"It was murder - the only abuse in our house was by Molly Martens. How could they be offered a plea," she asked?

Tracey Corbett-Lynch said there were enormous implications of the plea bargain deal.
"What does it say for justice in North Carolina that you can drug a father of two, then beat him to death with a baseball bat and a paving brick, literally crush his skull, and still escape a murder conviction," she said.

Online Editors