Molly Martens Corbett is said to have ‘sobbed’ as Jack Corbett’s powerful and heart-breaking victim impact statement was read out in court.
Molly and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, were charged with the second-degree murder of Jason Corbett, yesterday. They have been sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison, each.
Molly and Thomas had attempted to plead self-defence over the murder of Limerick native Jason. The father-of-two was found bludgeoned to death on August 2, 2015, in his home in North Carolina.
It emerged during the trial that Molly, who initially entered the Corbett family’s lives as a nanny, had tried to reach out to Jason’s children, Jack and Sarah, multiple times after his death.
The court heard how Molly had referred to herself as ‘Mom’ in Facebook messages to the children, and reflected nostalgically over photos of them together. She also sent them a phone number and email address, in a bid to get them to make contact.
In one message to the children, she wrote: “I will never stop loving you. I am sorry that we do not share our genetics. We shared our lives and I was the person chosen to be your mom.
“I was the person you called ‘Mom’ for eight years. You will always be my children. You are my heart and soul.”
Molly had allegedly tried to get Jason to sign adoption papers for the children, giving her equal rights to them. Jason is said to have refused each time.
The former nanny was also engaged in a custody battle with Jason’s sister, Tracey, over the children. In the end, guardianship was granted to Tracey and her husband, David Lynch, who reside in Limerick.
Yesterday marked the end of a long and difficult trial, which culminated with a heart-wrenching victim impact statement from Jason’s son Jack, who is 12 years old.
Lamenting the time and memories lost, Jack wrote: “I will never be able to give him a hug, to give him a present, to help me up when I’m down.
“He will never watch me grow into a teenager, see me get married, or catch a ball.
“She [Martens Corbett] has put this burden on this family, and it will not be done until she is put away.”
Martens Corbett is said to have broken down in tears over the letter, in which Jack said he would ‘remember her as a murderer’.
