A retrial of the Jason Corbett murder case is to take place after the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld a finding of a lower court.
The Limerick man’s wife, Molly Martens Corbett, and her father Thomas Martens, were found guilty in August 2017 of murdering him at the family’s luxury home in 2015. Ms Corbett and her father, a retired FBI agent, were both convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20-to-25 years in prison.
However, a retrial has now been ordered, most likely to take place next year.
The Supreme Court ruled that: “By erroneously excluding admissible testimony which was relevant to the central question presented to the jury, the trial court impermissibly constrained defendants’ ability to mount their defense."
Testimony from Mr Corbett’s children, Jack and Sarah, was denied admittance at the initial trial.
During the trial, Mr Martens claimed that he acted in self-defence, testifying that Mr Corbett was choking his daughter and that he was responding to what he believed was some sort of disturbance.
In February 2020, the North Carolina Court of Appeals found that both Mr Martens and his daughter had grounds for a new trial.
Mr Corbett, a 39-year old who came originally from Limerick, died from head injuries sustained in an attack with a baseball bat and paving stone.
A sister of Mr Corbett has said on Twitter that the family are "so disappointed and distraught" with the decision.
We are so disappointed and distraught that the Supreme Court of North Carolina has decided to grant a retrial to Tom and Molly Martens who admitted killing our beloved Jason - a father, a brother, a son and a loyal friend - who is dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. pic.twitter.com/5rcxsk2Wp4
— Tracey Corbett Lynch (@Lynchtr5) March 12, 2021
