DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The Davidson County father-daughter pair responsible for killing an Irish businessman in 2015 will be released from prison on Thursday.
The pair was originally sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison during the original trial in 2017 for killing Jason Corbett inside a Davidson County home.
After appealing their conviction and being granted a retrial, Molly Corbett and Thomas Martens took a plea deal on charges of voluntary manslaughter in 2023.
The judge sentenced them to a minimum of 51 months in prison with credit for time served.
Their original release date was slated for June 27, 2024, according to the Department of Corrections. According to attorneys for both Corbett and Martens, the date listed was an error.
The DoC received amended judgment and commitment documents from the court in Davidson County for both Martens and Corbett. Both were amended to include 21 days of time served to correctly reflect the actual number of days served during their first incarceration.
The change moved their release date to June 6, 2024. Martens Corbett was released just after 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning, with Martens released just after 10 a.m.
In a statement, Jason Corbett’s daughter Sarah Corbett said that she is disappointed that Molly Martens Corbett and Thomas Martens are being released.
“The sentence disappoints me. I’m doing the best I can but I feel let down and disappointed by any outcome where the Martens are released back into society. It feels unjust that they weren’t brought before a jury of their peers. I am confident they would have been found guilty, evident by their acceptance of the plea deal.
“Molly Martens manipulated my love, trust and feelings from a very young age for her own gain. The Martens chose self-interest over considering the harm caused to innocent individuals, especially children. But I am no longer a child than can be manipulated. I aim to prevent such situations from happening again. Despite serving their sentence, the repercussions of their actions will have a lasting impact. The truth, known by all involved, will eventually come to light for the world to see.”
The family also released a statement via the Jason Corbett’s Journey account on X, formerly Twitter.
After a nine-year battle for justice, we are deeply disappointed by the impending release of Tom and Molly Martens, the individuals responsible for the senseless and brutal murder of Jason, leaving his two children orphaned.
Jason was drugged and they beat him with a brick and a baseball bat while he was unable to defend himself. They left the room without a mark on either of them. The heinous actions of Tom and Molly Martens not only took Jason’s life in a malevolent, cruel and vicious manner but they also set about to tarnish his reputation and use his children in a self serving attempt to evade accountability.
Molly Martens relentlessly put Jack and Sarah into the centre of her bid to evade justice with a web of lies while refusing to take the stand to give evidence herself. Her cruelty disregard and treatment of two children under 10 years of age whose birth mother had died, father she had just battered to death and whom she professed to love was inhumane. Despite the gravity of their crime and the immense loss they inflicted, they will be freed today after serving just four years and three months.
Their lack of remorse for the irreparable harm caused to Jason’s children, whom they callously orphaned, is a stark reminder to all, of their callous disregard for human life and decency. Throughout the protracted legal proceedings, they prioritised their own interests over the profound suffering they inflicted upon innocent children.
Justice is twofold for criminals like Tom and Molly Martens. While they may have completed the court-mandated sentence, they now carry the enduring burden of their actions – forever knowing they extinguished a noble life. We know the truth, they know the truth. Soon the world will know the entire truth. Their legacy is one of undeniable guilt, exposed to an intelligent public – who when they look at the facts and evidence acknowledge their malevolent deeds on August 2, 2015, without the shield of legal technicalities.
As Jason’s family, we vow to tirelessly uphold his honorable legacy and seek justice to preserve his memory. Amidst this somber occasion, we draw solace from witnessing Jack and Sarah, the remarkable children Jason left behind, blossom into exceptional individuals he would undoubtedly be proud of.
Our heartfelt gratitude extends to the unwavering support from the communities of Davidson County in North Carolina and Limerick, Ireland, who stood by our side throughout this harrowing ordeal that no family should endure. We remain resolute in our pursuit of truth, justice, and the protection of Jason’s cherished memory.
Attorneys for the pair say the change reflects the court system correcting an error in the original paperwork.
Corbett was killed in 2015 by Molly and Martens, and they were originally convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison after a request to move the trial out of Davidson County was denied.
However, both maintained that evidence of Jason’s abuse was left out of the original trial and that there were issues with the jury.
In September 2020, their original conviction was thrown out and they were given a new trial, where new evidence was shared, including videos taken of Jason Corbett’s children’s testimony following their father’s death, along with details about injuries Molly Corbett suffered throughout their marriage and details surrounding the death of Jason Corbett’s first wife.
Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and Molly pleaded no contest to the same charge at the end of October, and the judge dismissed the second-degree murder charges against them.
On Nov. 8, they were sentenced to a minimum of 4 years, 3 months, and a maximum of 6 years, 2 months, behind bars. They received credit for 3 years, 8 months already served, leaving them with a minimum of 7 months and a maximum of 2 years, 6 months remaining.