The twin brother of an Irish man who was murdered in the United States two years ago has said there is a huge sense of relief among the family following guilty verdicts against the two people accused of killing him.
A jury in North Carolina yesterday found Molly Martens-Corbett and her father Thomas Martens guilty of the second-degree murder of Jason Corbett at his home on 2 August 2015.
Both have been sentenced to 20-25 years in prison.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today With Cormac Ó hEadhra, Wayne Corbett said it was difficult to comprehend what was done to his brother.
They didn’t just kill him, they slaughtered him
Mr Corbett attended much of the trial and described seeing the photographic evidence, which included autopsy photographs, as traumatic.
"What they did to Jason, his injuries, it was very horrific to see".
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Photographs released to RTÉ News by the District Attorney's office, show the scene that greeted emergency services when they arrived at Mr Corbett's house.
Originally from Limerick, Jason Corbett's first wife, Mags, died from an asthma attack in 2006.
The couple had two children, Sarah and Jack.
Mr Corbett married Molly Martens in 2011 and moved to Wallburg, North Carolina the following year.
Wayne Corbett recalled how he first heard the news of his brother's death, when he received a phone call from Thomas Martens' wife, Sharon.
He said she told him that Jason and Molly had had an argument and that "Molly pushed Jason and Jason was dead".
Mr Corbett said he had last seen his brother in North Carolina just days before the murder occurred.
When asked what he thought was Molly Martens-Corbett’s motivation in murdering her husband, he said: "You’d have to ask her what motivated her. She brutally murdered my twin brother, they left Jack and Sarah without their father, and they had already lost Mags tragically in 2006".
He also said he believes his brother was asleep when he was attacked.
No one will ever know exactly what happened that night but I believe Jason was asleep and they beat him to death. I believe the first blow was in the bed, I believe he was asleep when they hit him first in the head
Read More:
- Watch: Jury foreman says decision 'did not come easy'
- Wife and father-in-law guilty of second-degree murder
- Voluntary manslaughter charge reinstated in Corbett trial
- Witness says accused 'hated' Jason Corbett
- Martens hit Corbett 'until he couldn't kill me'
He described Thomas Martens as "arrogant" and someone who "always thought he was above everyone".
Mags Corbett’s sister, Catherine Fitzpatrick, said Martens-Corbett did not just murder Jason Corbett "she made everything difficult, she went out of her way to hurt people".
Ms Fitzpatrick said that following the murder Martens-Corbett sent the bill for the ambulance used to transport Mr Corbett to hospital on the night of his murder to the Corbett family.
When asked about the Martens claim of self-defence during the trial, she said it made her angry that they were going to tarnish her brother-in-law's name – "it was all just lies".
She also said that Jason Corbett was always adamant that even after his marriage to Molly Martens, she would not be allowed to adopt his children and that he always had the intention to return to Limerick so that his children could attend secondary school there.
Ms Fitzpatrick said she was not aware that her nephew Jack had written the letter which was read to the court yesterday.
She said he has had to grow up very quickly and is a "very mature little boy and maybe he just had to do that for himself".
They said the children are both doing very well and are surrounded by family and friends.
Ms Fitzpatrick said both families always talk about Jason and Mags to the children and are very open about talking to them about their parents, who she described as soulmates.
She said her brother-in-law was a brilliant husband and father and "they had everything they wanted when they had Jack and Sarah".
Wayne Corbett paid tribute to the District Attorney’s office in North Carolina and the Davidson County Police Department for their work in bringing about a successful conviction.
He said he understood why the charge was not first degree murder, but accepted the sentence handed down to the judge.
