‘No words can describe our pain’
THIS is the victim impact statement made by Jason Corbett’s sister Tracey Lynch in Davidson County Superior Court yesterday following the verdicts.
MY name is Tracey Lynch. I am a sister of Jason Corbett. I have been asked to read this statement to the court to tell you what type of person Jason was.
I want you to understand the impact his murder has had on his family and on his mother. I want you to understand how the actions of Molly Martens and her father have impacted on Sarah and Jack, Jason’s children.
Jason was my baby brother. We were so proud of him. He was charismatic, kind, fun loving, generous and thoughtful. He was a very uplifting and amiable person. He had gone through hard times when his first wife Mags died, but he kept himself going for Jack and Sarah.
He loved his children and was devoted to them. He worked very hard to provide for them and make sure they had everything they needed.
They also knew he loved them and he doted on them. He did all he could to make them happy.
Jason was a healthy, happy man. Then that changed for all of us.
August 2 will be imprinted in our minds for all the wrong reasons, the day my brother was killed and my niece and nephew were made orphans. My parents lost their child and we all lost the most wonderful brother and friend.
Our day-to-day lives are lived under constant pressure and worry. This was on top of grieving for our loss, on top of custody, on top of guardianship.
All because Molly and Tom Martens murdered my brother Jason Corbett.
We will never come to terms with Jason’s horrific death.
He was beaten and battered thousands of miles from his family in his own home.
No photographs or evidence will depict for you what we endure every day and how we suffer because of the vision of how Jason died in pain.
Was he in pain? Did he cry? How long did he lay there before his last breath?
Our hearts will never heal from the sadness we feel.
Although we are broken, the love and support we have gives us the determination and strength to carry on.
We’ve tried to find the words as a family to tell you how Jason’s murder has impacted on our lives, but there really are no adequate words to describe the pain, anger and despair that we’ve felt from his murder.
Jason’s murder took everything from his children. It took their innocence and security, it made them orphans, it fundamentally changed the course of their lives.
They sometimes have trouble finding joy in the simple pleasures of life. Being ‘happy’ doesn’t seem ‘right’ any more. They are now painfully aware that there is violence and evil in this world. That they cannot trust because adults break that trust.
I speak for all my siblings, when I say sometimes the feeling of despair becomes so overwhelming, so oppressive, that it literally takes my breath away.
I never know what sound or what sight is going to trigger in my mind a memory.
And while the memories of Jason are so precious, with them comes the realisation that he is gone and the visualisation of his battered body… each time that realisation hits my heart and it is devastating.
We sat here and listened to how he died. Those memories will never leave us as a family.
Jason was the baby, my mother Rita and my father John’s youngest child. Their baby did not deserve to be so cruelly taken from them.
They did not deserve to have to live the rest of their lives with this pain and without their child.
My mother has asked to say the following to the court:
‘Jason was my pride and joy. He was kind, generous and sensitive. He wanted to see the people around him happy and he contributed to this with his love for life, devotion and kindness. He was very caring to his family and friends. He was a devoted father to his children Jack and Sarah.
‘The day I was told Jason was dead was the worst day of my life. It was 6.10pm on a Sunday evening. My son Wayne had received a brief 30-second call from Sharon Martens, Molly Martens’ mother, to say Jason is dead.
‘An ocean divided us but we tried everything, every way to contact Molly. We tried desperately to ring Sharon and Molly back.
‘To this day I have never heard from Molly Martens or any of her family since the day of Jason’s murder. Not one word, call or letter to acknowledge I was his mother, that he was dead, nothing.
‘No call at the time to allow me to
‘Our hearts will never heal’
speak with my grandchildren. No contact. A hastily arranged funeral without communicating with his family in Ireland.
‘It seemed she wished to wipe our existence out along with Jason’s from Jack and Sarah’s life. My life will never be the same but I tried and am trying every day to carry on the best I can.
‘It was very hard because I had to watch Molly and Tom Martens carry on as if nothing had happened, as if they had the right to kill my child, my lovely son Jason. My family and I were and continue to suffer a level of emotional pain that words will never cover.
‘I miss Jason so much and see him in front of me every day. Every night when I go to bed and close my eyes all I can see is his battered and bruised body lying on the floor.
‘When I come down my stairs each morning, I open my front door looking out remembering Jason coming in saying “Rita, we’re home” and my heart breaks all over again knowing I will never see him. Sometimes I don’t know what to do… shout, roar or go mad but I can’t and will stay strong for my family.
‘They are so good and I am so blessed to have them all. Tracey and David are now parents to Jack and Sarah along with their other children Adam and Dean. They are
‘All I can see is his battered body’
doing their very best for the children and helping us to cope with the trial, it’s so hard to keep going but we all find strength in each other. Our lives will go on.
‘Jason died suffering in such a way, I could never forget what was done to him. It was inhuman and barbaric. Instead of Jason’s warm embrace, I now look at cold marble headstone in a graveyard. My heart is broken and I will never recover.
‘It is up to the court to decide Molly and Tom Martens sentence and although there will never be justice for Jason, I beg of the court for Jason’s sake, for his family, and for myself, to give Molly and Tom Martens the same leniency that they gave my son.’
As his sister, I just want to say one more thing. Many people spoke inside and outside this court about what a decent man Jason was. The sentence you pass will be the last thing anyone can do for Jason in this horrific case.
All we are asking for is justice for Jason, for his family, for his friends and especially for Jack and Sarah.