Molly’s surge of anger as she is referred to by her maiden
MOLLY Martens, until that moment a picture of poised perfection, shot forward in her seat. Her arm darted out, connecting abruptly with her attorney’s shoulder as she feverishly tapped for his attention.
‘My name is Molly Martens Corbett,’ she snapped.
She was whispering but the anger in her tone had heightened the volume and the comment had met with several pricked ears in the public gallery. Her attorney David Freedman quietly settled her, gesturing for her to calm down. The source of her ire, Tracey Lynch, was in the witness box giving evidence and had just referred to her by her maiden name.
‘The kids moved to the States with Molly Martens and Jason in 2011,’ Tracey told the court, sending Ms Martens into a spin.
It was day two of pre-trial hearings in the Corbett case. Ms Martens, 33, and her father 66, are charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in relation to Jason Corbett’s death. The Limerick man was found bludgeoned to death in the bedroom of his luxury home in Winston Salem, North Carolina in August 2015.
Ms Martens and her father, a former FBI agent, will stand trial next month.
This week, as allegations flew back and forth from both sides, it became clear that the gloves will be off when the evidence comes before a jury. Ms Martens, who was wearing a form-fitting black dress and cobalt blue cardigan, had arrived to court on Monday amid a flurry of flashbulbs.
She sat next to her father Tom, who watched inquisitively as Mr Corbett’s sister Tracey and her husband David took their seats in the public gallery.
The defence, who wanted the trial to be moved to another county because of ‘prejudicial publicity’, began their assault.
Detective Wanda Thompson was the first witness. According to the attorney for the accused: ‘In the case of Ms Thompson, there is a bias.’
He added that in relation to the Corbetts, she had been ‘giving legal advice and accepting gifts’. Mr Freedman alleged that the detective had failed to take proper notes, had written material in search warrants that was untrue and had been deciding which evidence was relevant and which was not.
In testimony, Ms Thompson denied these claims. She said it wasn’t uncommon for the relatives of victims to bring gifts and that her communication with the Corbetts has been in an ‘advisory’ capacity in relation to procedure.
‘I’ve been in this job for over 40 years,’ she said. ‘They are the family of a man who was brutally killed.’
The bias within the sheriff’s office extended further, claimed the defence.
Reports in the Irish Mail on Sunday’s sister newspaper, the Irish Daily Mail, which has covered the case extensively, were discussed at length. Walter Holton, attorney for Ms Martens, referred to a report that appeared in the Mail on August 18, 2015. Mr Holton claimed that, according to the article, the paper was in possession of a police report that had been sealed by order of the court on August 3.
‘If the media was up at the sheriff’s office that morning (August 3), before it was sealed, then the media would have it,’ replied Ms Thompson. She told the court that police reports, once written, are a matter of public record in the county. ‘It would have been the original report that was written,’ she said.
Elsewhere, the social media campaign against Ms Martens and her father meant she had no chance of a fair trial in Davidson County, claimed the defence.
According to Ms Martens’ best friend, who also took the stand, everyone in the county was talking about the case. It was all the chat in the local schools, restaurants and hair salons, said Shannon Grubb.
She claimed the case had been the subject of ‘word of mouth ‘publicity in the county and that, as such, her friend ‘could not get a fair trial’.
On another occasion, she said she was in a restaurant when a ‘random
‘My name is Molly Martens Corbett’ she snapped at her attorney
links person’ started talking about the ‘murder house’. In the first victory for the prosecution in this case, Judge Lee denied the motion for a change of venue. However, the jury pool would be questioned extensively on their knowledge of the case and possible s to the sheriff’s office. most of Thursday’s session, Ms tens remained stoic, sitting ly beside her father. was during the evidence of a sellor – who had a therapy session Mr Corbett’s son Jack – that she n to sob. drea Huckabee, a counsellor at mont Family services, told the that during a 45-minute therapy session, Jack had said he had negative feelings toward his stepmother.
She added: ‘He said, “I don’t want to hurt my mom’s feelings”.’
She said that during that session, Mr Corbett’s only son made a point of telling her that Ms Martens was his ‘step-mom’ and that his first mother had passed away. Meanwhile, a paediatrician who examined Jack and name his younger Sarah after their father’s death revealed she had diagnosed them ‘as victims of child abuse’.
Dr Amy Suttle said she gave a diagnosis that both children were ‘victims of child abuse due to exposure to domestic violence’.
She added that she did not make any determination on who was responsible for the abuse. Furthermore, she added: ‘That’s not my job.’
At trial, the defence is expected to allege that Ms Martens was the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband and that her father stepped in to protect her from ‘imminent danger’ on the night of Mr Corbett’s death. In an explosive court document revealed by the Mail this week, Tom Martens, if he testifies, intends to tell the court that statements made by Mr Corbett’s late father-in-law, accounted for his state of mind on the night of the killing.
Mr Corbett’s first wife Margaret Fitzpatrick, who was known as Mags, died in November 2006 following an asthma attack. She is the mother of his two children.
He married Molly Martens in 2011 and Mr Martens claims that, during the wedding celebrations, Mags’s father Michael – who passed away last year – told him that he ‘believed that Jason Corbett caused the death of his daughter’.
The prosecution will argue that it was Mr Corbett who was being abused, which ended with his brutal death. Experts will be called to demonstrate that the force used in Mr Martens’ alleged bid to defend both himself and his daughter, was excessive.
In court this week, there were several references made to Mr Corbett’s children Jack and Sarah.
Mr Corbett’s brother-in-law David Lynch told the court that, during an emotional outburst, Jack, now 12, asked him if his stepmother and her father had been locked up yet.
The alleged incident took place during a visit to his father’s grave.
Much is expected to be made of both Jack and Sarah’s relationship with Ms Martens.
In court, reference was made to correspondence they had with her after they returned to Ireland and diaries in which they opened up about their feelings.
While Judge Lee decides on the admissibility of such evidence, both sides are now focused on a trial date of July 17. Ms Martens and her father have engaged a high-powered legal team of six lawyers, who are already focused on every move made in the courtroom.
On day two of last week’s pre-trial hearings, Ms Martens’s attorney interrupted the session to object to ‘members of the prosecution staring at the defendants’.
Mr Freedman told the court that the continued behaviour would prevent his client getting a fair trial.
Responding, prosecutor David Gregg said that he ‘believed the comments were directed’ at him.
‘This is something I have always done,’ he said.
He said that he needed to understand how the defendants reacted in the event that either party takes the stand. ‘It is my continued intention to observe how the defendants react,’ he said.
‘Attorney referred to a report that appeared in the Mail in August, 2015’