A former FBI agent and his daughter have been charged with the murder the woman's husband, an Irish father-of-two living in the United States.
Molly Martens, 31, and her 65-year-old father Thomas Martens - a former FBI agent - have been charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in relation to the death of Molly Marten's husband, Jason Corbett.
Corbett, 39, originally from Janseboro, Limerick, suffered fatal head injuries on August 2 at his house near Winston-Salem in North Carolina. Martens was his second wife.
Molly Martens (left), 31, and her 65-year-old father Thomas Martens, have been charged in the death of Martens' husband, 39-year-old Jason Corbett (right). Corbett, a father-of-two Janseboro, Limerick, in Ireland, suffered fatal head injuries on August 2 at his house near Winston-Salem in North Carolina
The Davidson County sheriff’s office received an emergency call to the Corbett family house in Panther Creek Court at 3am to find Jason inside with fatal head injuries.
The caller, believed to be Thomas Martens, told responders that he had an argument with his son-in-law and struck him with a baseball bat, according to My Fox 8.
The second-degree murder charges could potential mean a life sentence if they are convicted.
Molly Martens and Corbett shared the North Carolina home with his two children from a former marriage.
Corbett's first wife, Margaret Fitzpatrick Corbett, died in November 2006 of an asthma attack, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
But Molly Martens had been Corbett's children's au pair, and the couple soon began dating and married in 2011. Molly Martens never adopted Corbett's children because he would not allow it.
Martens sought custody of the two children, Sarah and Jack, after Corbett’s death. She claimed in court that, as the children’s stepmother, she had a greater right to bring them up than Jason’s sister and brother-in-law in Ireland.
She lost that case, but is appealing the decision, and she has mounted an ongoing social media campaign in support of her claim.
Corbett was found in his home at 3am on August 2 after the Davidson County sheriff’s office received an emergency call the the house
The 911 caller had said that he had an argument with his son-in-law and struck him with a baseball bat. Molly and Thomas are now charged with charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in relation to Corbett's death. Corbett is pictured above
It is understood that a grand jury took a day to consider the indictments and recommended that Martens and her father be charged on both counts.
District Attorney Garry Frank said on Monday that arrangements were being made to bring Martens and her father before a court this week.
‘The grand jury returned true bills of indictment against Mr Martens and Mrs Corbett for second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter,’ he said.
He added: ‘At the moment both defendants are out of the State and their lawyer is making efforts to bring them back by tomorrow (Tuesday) at the earliest.
'At this point in time they are like every other defendant, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. They will have a court appearance sometime this week, a bond will be set and we will proceed to the next court hearing according to procedure.’
Anyone convicted under North Carolina’s second degree murder law faces 12 years to life in prison.
Sentences for a voluntary manslaughter conviction range from a minimum of four years to a maximum of 12.
Both defendants will enter their pleas at an arraignment hearing, which will be set for a later date.
Frank said he hoped to have the case heard in front of a trial jury before the end of the year.
'Under North Carolina law we have an obligation to make full discovery to the defendants,’ he said.
‘After that I’m sure there will be some motions filed and some back and forth so its very difficult to project,' he added. 'The average homicide takes at least a year to go to trial.
Molly Martens was the au pair for Corbett's children after Corbett's first wife died. Martens and Corbett then married in 2011
Martens sought custody of the two children, Sarah and Jack, after Jason’s death. She lost the case but is appealing the decision
'We hope in this circumstance to be sooner than that. A lot depends on the readiness and willingness of the defendant.’
When asked if he was confident of securing a conviction in relation to the charges, Frank said it would be ‘improper’ for him to comment.
He added: ‘I signed the indictments asking the jury to find probable cause that this is the charge. Now (for a trial jury) the standard of proof changes to beyond a reasonable doubt. I’m comfortable with the probable cause determination and now we will have to put on the evidence and see.’
Both charges can be pursued until the matter goes before a trial jury later in the year. The jury can hear the evidence and decide on which one, if any, to convict on.
In accordance with state law, grand jury proceedings are held in secret. The prosecutor presents evidence and witness testimony to the jurors in an effort to establish that there is probable cause to believe the defendant is guilty of the charge or charges presented.
If the grand jury agrees that probable cause exists, it votes to bring an indictment against the defendant and the legal process continues.
It I understood that Mr Frank ordered a special term of court to deal with the Corbett case on December 19.
Corbett's first wife, Margaret Fitzpatrick Corbett (pictured above with Corbett), died in November 2006 of an asthma attack
The grand jury spent almost all day considering the evidence and rendered true bills of indictment on both counts in relation to each individual.
The indictments were sealed due to the Christmas holidays and issues surrounding getting the defendants into court.
Monday morning, Frank applied for a court order allowing them to be unsealed so he could deal with them.
Both defendants are understood to be ‘outside the state’ and were notified of the charges via their lawyer David Freedman.
Arrangements are being made for them to return to North Carolina so orders for arrest can be produced in open court and a bond set in relation to the charges.
Although no arrests were made at the time of the murder, investigators confirmed they were not looking for anybody from outside the home.
Molly Martens and father-in-law were later named as ‘persons of interest’ by detectives.
Jason’s body was flown home to Limerick where he was buried three weeks after his death.
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