Lawyers for Molly Martens and her father Thomas have begun their appeal against the pair’s convictions for the murder of Irish man Jason Corbett.
The 39-year-old father of two from Limerick was found dead at his home near Winston-Salem, North Carolina in August 2015.
Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens, a former FBI agent, were convicted of second-degree murder following a trial in the summer of 2017.
The pair today argued that they did not get a fair trial and that the trial judge excluded critical evidence in their case.
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The trial had heard that Thomas Martens had called 911 on 2 August 2015 and told authorities he struck Mr Corbett with a baseball bet.
During the trial in 2017, Davidson County prosecutors alleged Thomas Martens and his daughter beat Mr Corbett to death, administering at least 12 blows to the head, crushing his skull.
Thomas Martens claimed he acted in self-defense, testifying that Mr Corbett was choking his daughter, and he reacted to what he thought was some sort of disturbance.
The jury did not agree and sentenced both to 20-to-25 years in prison.
