The murder of Jason Corbett by his wife, Molly Corbett, and her father, Thomas Martens, is highlighted in the latest episode of 48 Hours On ID on Investigation Discovery.
In the early hours of August 2, 2015, police officers were dispatched to a home at Panther Creek Court in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after receiving a 911 call from Martens claiming to have possibly killed Jason in self-defense.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Jason, 30, an Irish-born businessman and father of two, lying dead in a pool of his own blood. He had been bludgeoned to death.
Martens, a retired FBI agent, told officers at the scene that he was sleeping at his daughter and son-in-law’s home when he was awakened by a fight upstairs. He said he grabbed an aluminum Little League baseball bat and went to the couple’s bedroom and found Jason choking his daughter.
He told detectvies that Jason refused to let Molly go and so he hit his son-in-law with the bat. That’s when Jason grabbed the bat and knocked him to the floor, according to Martens’ account.
Molly told police that when she realized he was going to hit her father, she grabbed a concrete paving brick from their nightstand and struck Jason. Martens then got the baseball bat back and began hitting Jason repeatedly.
The father and daughter stated that Jason had been abusive for several years, and he threatened to kill Molly on the night of the incident.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelMolly and her father were later arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
On August 9, 2017, a jury found the father and daughter guilty of murdering Jason, after deciding that they did not act in self-defense.
Superior Court Judge David Lee sentenced Molly and Martens between 20 and 25 years in prison.
However, the father and daugther appealed their conviction on the grounds that they did not recieve a fair trial. The appeal is still pending, and the victim’s family have said they are desperate for resolution. The Irish government has become invovled, with Irish officials asking the Department of Foreign Affairs to explain the delay
48 Hours On ID — In Jason’s Name, airs at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.