A man accused of killing an Irish man in the United States in August 2015 has told a North Carolina court that he hit Jason Corbett "until he couldn't kill me".
Thomas Martens, 67, and his 33-year-old daughter Molly Martens-Corbett are accused of killing 39-year-old Jason Corbett at his home in Wallburg, North Carolina on 2 August 2015.
Both have pleaded not guilty to those charges, claiming self-defence.
Mr Martens told the court that he was awoken "from a sound sleep" by "loud footfalls and a scream".
"It sounded bad, like a matter of urgency, so I got out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat," he said.
David Freedman, representing Mr Martens, asked why he had grabbed the bat and if he called the emergency services.
"It seemed like a good idea. I'd rather have the baseball bat than not," he said. "I did not call 911. I reacted instinctively and did not think to call 911."
Mr Martens said he determined the noise was coming from the room his daughter shared with her husband, Mr Corbett.
Mr Marens told the court that when he entered the couple's bedroom, Mr Corbett had his hands around his wife's neck.
Mr Martens said that he told his son-in-law to let her go, to which he replied 'I'm going to kill her'. He said this exchange happened a number of times.
Mr Martens said at some point, Mr Corbett reversed himself and had his wife in the crook of his arm.
"He was really angry and I was really scared," Mr Martens said. "I was afraid he would get to the bathroom and that would be the end of that."
Mr Martens said that at this point he hit Mr Corbett, but it did not have any effect.
He said Mr Corbett continued to edge down the hallway. Mr Martens said he hit Mr Corbett as many times as he could, claiming that it was in order to prevent Mr Corbett from closing the bedroom door.
Mr Martens said that Mr Corbett was initiating he action towards him. He told the court he was afraid that he would lose his life, and that his daughter might lose hers.
"We came back down the hallway, and we're back in the bedroom," Mr Martens said. "I get a chance to hit him, only this time, he's ready for me. He catches the bat in the palm of his hand perfectly.
"Molly [escaped] ... but now he has the bat and I'm still holding the bat. He reaches out with his left hand and shoves me across the room, and I'm face down in the carpet."
Mr Martens said he "foolishly" searched for his glasses once he realised he lost them in the struggle.
"I'm thinking the next thing I'm going to get is a bat to the back of the head, and I'm scrambling," he said. "It was a shock to get thrown across the bedroom … He's got the bat. Molly is by the nightstand.
"Things look pretty bleak. He's got the bat and is in a good, athletic position. I decide to rush him … As desperate as it seemed, it seemed the only thing to do.
"I get both hands on the bat, and now we're struggling over the bat. This is not good for me."
Despite the compromising position, Mr Martens said he managed to get control of the bat and hit him.
"This isn't over. I hit him until he goes down, then I step away," Mr Martens said. "I hit him until he couldn't kill me."
Martens questioned about training he received in the FBI
Mr Martens was asked by Davidson County Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown about training he received while a member of the FBI.
Mr Martens served in criminal investigation and counter-intelligence for over 31 years with the bureau where he was also trained in self defence.
When asked if he was trained in how to defend himself without the use of deadly force, Mr Martens paused before unfurling a more complex answer. Saying he was trained in deadly force, he said he is not sure he has the type of training Mr Brown described.
In response to a question of whether he would have protected his daughter from her husband before 2 August 2015, Mr Martens said: "I’m not sure how to answer that."
Explaining that it was not a simple yes or no answer, he said he would need to know the specific circumstances surrounding any hypothetical occasion.
If informed Mr Corbett was abusing his daughter, Mr Martens said he would encourage her to take measures to protect herself, including possibly dissolving her marriage. If she was being physically abused in front of him, Mr Martens said he would intervene.
Mr Martens said he had no definitive information of any violent encounters in which Mr Corbett inflicted injury to Ms Martens-Corbett in Ireland.
He added that he did not witness any physical violence between Mr Corbett and his daughter prior to 2 August 2015.
Defendant does not remember if he washed his hands afterwards
When asked if he made the decision to kill Mr Corbett, Mr Martens replied no. He said he made the decision to hit him in the back of the head with a baseball bat to subdue the threat to his daughter.
"Are you trying to take the blame for your daughter?" Mr Brown asked.
"No. I'm trying to take responsibility for what I did, and I'm trying to tell you truthfully what I did," Mr Martens replied.
The prosecutor asked if Mr Martens lost control and how long it took to call 911.
"It took a couple of minutes to gather myself, take a deep breath," Mr Martens said.
He estimated it took two minutes to collect himself, before then asking his daughter to find a phone and call 911.
Mr Martens said he does not remember if either he or his daughter washed their hands before using the phone to call for emergency help. Prior to the 911 call, neither Mr Martens or his daughter started CPR on Mr Corbett, he testified.
When asked whether he moved the vacuum cleaner, he said he did not think so, but allowed it was conceivable that in the hectic time of trying to administer CPR while on the phone with the 911 operator, he could have moved it.
He also said he did not remember washing his hands at any point prior to being interviewed at the sheriff's office.
Finally, when asked by Mr Brown if he and his daughter murdered Mr Corbett, he said that is not the truth.
