Murder tria l jurors told they will ha ve to exa mine ‘g ory pictures’
PROSPECTIVE jurors in the murder trial over the death of an Irish businessman and father-of-two were warned they will have to examine “gory pictures” of the blood-spattered North Carolina home where Jason Corbett (39) sustained his fatal injuries.
The potential jurors were told the photographs taken after Mr Corbett was found fatally injured on August 2, 2015, might make them feel “queasy”.
Photographs to be submitted during the trial before Davidson County Superior Court, in North Carolina, will include images of blood-spattered rooms within the luxury home in the gated residential complex at Meadowlands, in the northern part of the US state.
The warning came as the prospective jury of nine women and three men began an examination by the defence teams representing Molly Martens-Corbett (35) and her father, Thomas Michael Martens (67).
Both deny the second degree murder of Limerick-born Mr Corbett, who died from severe head injuries sustained at the Panther Creek home in North Carolina he shared with his second wife, Ms Martens-Corbett.
David Freedman, lawyer for Mr Martens, told the prospective jurors they will have to examine some potentially distressing images.
“There are going to be gory pictures – there is no getting around that,” he said. “There was a lot of blood in that bedroom on August 2.”
Mr Freedman indicated some of the photos may also depict Mr Corbett’s loose scalp.
Post-mortem examination photographs will also be submitted, indicating the fatal injuries sustained to Mr Corbett’s skull.
“It is not going to be easy – some people might get queasy,” he said.
Mr Freedman said he simply wanted to ensure that all the jurors will be able to operate in a fair and impartial way.
He pointed out that the prosecution is not suggesting in any way that the events of that night were premeditated.
“Mr Martens was not indicted with first degree murder. It (premeditation) is not an issue in this case. The state is not alleging premeditation.
“He is charged with second degree murder, which is a killing without malice.” Mr Freedman also indicated that there will be evidence that the parties involved were drinking.
The jurors were previously asked by Alan Martin, for the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, whether they have any personal bias against Ireland or Irish people.
“Mr Corbett was a resident of the Meadowlands but he was a citizen of the Republic of Ireland. Do any of you have any bias towards Ireland or Irish people?” he asked. “Do you have any bias towards Irish folks?”
All prospective jurors indicated they did not. Of the 12 original prospective jurors called from a panel of 143, eight were eventually discharged.
One of those discharged had referred to Ms Martens-Corbett as “Miss Molly” and had been questioned on whether she had closely followed all the local media coverage of the case in 2015.
All prospective jurors were asked to complete a 16-page questionnaire which was then submitted to both the prosecution and two defence teams.