New images released of Jason Corbett's killers in hours after his death

Update: New pictures showing Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens in the hours after Jason Corbett's death have emerged this evening.

New images released of Jason Corbett's killers in hours after his death

Update: New pictures showing Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens in the hours after Jason Corbett's death have emerged this evening.

The Davidson County District Attorney's office have also released graphic pictures showing the scene of the crime and the weapons that the trial heard were used to kill the Limerick father of two.

(Images: Davidson County - District Attorney)

Earlier: The grandmother of Jason Corbett's children says his murder was "despicable".

The 39-year-old Irish man was beaten to death with a baseball bat and paving stone at his home in North Carolina two years ago.

The children's stepmother Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens are starting jail terms of at least 20 years his murder.

They have been taken from a south Carolina courthouse to begin their 20-25 year sentence in state prison.

It came after a jury found them guilty of second degree murder.

Marian Fitzpatrick is the grandmother of Jason Corbett's children, Jack and Sarah. Her daughter Margaret (Mags) - Jason's first wife - died of an asthma attack in 2006.

Marian spoke to Newstalk Breakfast in the wake of yesterday's verdict and sentencing.

On the subject of Molly and Thomas Martens, Marian suggested: "I don't think anything of them. They are not human beings.

She said: "What they done to Jason... it was despicable, and you wouldn't have done it to an animal."

Marian spoke about the impact of Jason's murder on her grandchildren, and her own daughter's life with her family.

She said: "[Jack] lost his mom when he was very young, and now his dad is gone. It's just devastating, and it's upsetting. But he's with a good family, and he is thriving, and they are very happy.

"Jason and Mags were soulmates. They were so happy, they had such a good life. When they had the kids they had such a good life."

Marian described Jason as a 'gentle giant', and someone who had lots of time for time for his family.

"He liked the craic," she recalled. "He was so thoughtful - he even paid for us to go over to America to see them. He came one Christmas to surprise us - we didn't even know he was coming. He knocked at the door, and there he was with the two kids.

"He was a real family man. He worked hard. He done everything he could for his family, and they had a fantastic life - Mags and Jason - for the time they were together."

Marian met Molly Martens on a number of occasions while she was married to Jason.

She observed: "She was alright... she was a bit strict. She wouldn't be like Irish mammys. But they seemed to be doing fine. They had a beautiful home out there, and the kids were making friends... I felt a little bit better then knowing that."

With the trial having now reached a conclusion, Marian believes that those affected by Jason's death can now finally move on with their lives.

She concluded: "I think that now the Corbett family can grieve for Jason, and the kids can get on with their lives. And they're having a good life... and they're being well looked after and loved by everybody."

The twin brother of the murdered Limerick businessman says his family's priority is to maintain a loving home for his brother's two children.

Jason's twin Wayne says that 12-year old Jack and 10-year old Sarah are settling into life in Limerick.

The children's mother Margaret died of an asthma attack in 2006.

Wayne hopes the children's parents are now smiling down on them.

He said: "I would say they are very happy, I would say Margaret and Jason are smiling down glad that their kids are here.

"They will know that they are safe and they'll be looked after and loved by Tracy and Dave and surrounded by their family raising Jack and Sarah.

"That will be our prime focus going forward is the welfare of Jack and Sarah."

Jason's mother Rita says she will never recover from the murder of her son.

However, she has also paid tribute to the support she has received from the people of Limerick in her time of need.

Rita Corbett said the last two years have been a nightmare, saying: "It's heartbreaking, it's hard to pick yourself up again.

"We'll never move on to be honest with you, never, never. It was too horrible, like a nightmare.

"But I will tell you something, the Limerick people, they are great people. When you need them they are there."

Yesterday, Jason Corbett’s son, Jack, described his step-mother, Molly Martens Corbett as a murderer in a victim-impact statement read out in a south Carolina court.

“Molly Martens will not be forgotten,” the 12-year-old said in a statement read by Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin.

“She will always be remembered as the woman who killed her husband for no reason. She will be remembered as a murderer.”

Molly Martens Corbett collapsed into tears when she heard the statement.

Molly Martens Corbett, 33, is loaded into a prisoner transport van at the Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington, North Carolina. Photo by Jerry Wolford.
Molly Martens Corbett, 33, is loaded into a prisoner transport van at the Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington, North Carolina. Photo by Jerry Wolford.

During her four-year marriage to Jason Corbett, Molly had tried to adopt Jack and his sister, Sarah, now 10, but Jason Corbett refused to allow it.

After Jason Corbett was killed, Molly Martens Corbett sought to be legal guardian of the children, a move opposed by Jason’s sister, Tracey Lynch, and her husband, David Lynch.

A protracted legal battle resulted, and Tracey and David Lynch eventually won custody of the two children, who live with them in Ireland.

Jack said his father was always cheering him on in sports, school and life.

“I don’t have that from him anymore,” he said. “He won’t be there for me when I get married or have kids. He will miss everything.”

Jack said Jason Corbett won’t be there to give him advice or see him grow up.

“I can’t ever go to a movie or pass a ball without feeling bad because that’s what me and my dad did,” he said.

He said Sarah also has had a hard time.

“We are seen as the family of the Irish man who was murdered by Molly Martens, who is so bad,” he said.

“One thing she is not is a part of the Corbett family.”

Thomas Martens, 67, a former FBI agent, is loaded into a prisoner transport van at the Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington, North Carolina. Photo by Jerry Wolford.
Thomas Martens, 67, a former FBI agent, is loaded into a prisoner transport van at the Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington, North Carolina. Photo by Jerry Wolford.

Jason's sister, Tracey Lynch, with her husband by her side, read her own statement.

“August 2 will be imprinted in our minds for all the wrong reasons,” she said.

“Our day to day lives have been filled with constant worry…We will never come to terms with Jason’s death. He was beaten and battered thousands of miles (from his friends and family) in his own home.”

“We ask ourselves if he was in pain,” she said. “How long did he lay there before he took his last breath?”

Jack and Sarah “sometimes have trouble finding joy in the simplest pleasures of life,” Tracey Lynch said. “They are painfully aware there is violence. They cannot trust because adults break their trust.”

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