Thomas Martens described son-in-law Jason Corbett ‘as cruel and controlling’ to police

Thomas Martens described his son-in-law Jason Corbett “as cruel and controlling” in an interview with police on the night he and his daughter killed the Limerick man in August 2015.

Separately prosecutors told a court hearing in North Carolina that Molly Martens Corbett, the daughter of Thomas Martens and wife of Jason Corbett, “struggled with and had a complicated relationship with the truth”.

Thomas Martens on Monday pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, while Molly Martens Corbett did not contest a charge of voluntary manslaughter. A judge in Lexington, North Carolina, is now to decide on the sentences that will apply.

On Tuesday the court viewed a video of an interview carried out by police with Thomas Martens in the hours after the killing of Mr Corbett. Early in the interview Mr Martens told police that Mr Corbett was an Irish citizen and that his daughter Molly had answered an advertisement looking for someone to help him look after his two children after the death of his wife. He claimed that Mr Corbett’s first wife had died “in mysterious circumstances” from an asthma attack in his car.

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Mr Martens described Mr Corbett as “abusive”. He said to his knowledge it was not physical abuse but that his daughter “did not tell us everything”.

He said Mr Corbett was controlling, that he wanted to see her phone and computer and that when he played golf with his son-in-law he would contact her hole by hole.

Separately, the mother of Molly Martens Corbett told police that her daughter and her husband Jason Corbett had fought since they were married, the court was told.

Sharon Martens said her daughter insisted the fighting was just verbal.

A police report on the statement made by Sharon Martens after Mr Corbett was killed said she suspected the fighting was physical.

Sharon Martens said in her statement, the court heard, that Jason Corbett’s children – from his first marriage – had told her how he had grabbed Molly Martens Corbett’s arm and pushed her against a wall.

However, prosecutors argued that parts of Sharon Martens’ statement were “not credible” and that the court should not give it “substantial weight”.

The court heard evidence of a statement made by Sharon Marten’s to detective Nathan Riggs of the Davidson County sheriff’s office. Sharon Martens said she and the children had agreed a code word that would be used in conversation with her if there was an emergency and she would contact the police. She said the number was written at the bottom of the largest of a collection of nesting dolls that were kept in a guest bedroom.

The detective in his written evidence read in court said one of the children had confirmed this emergency number existed. The detective said it had been written in black marker but did not appear to be in the handwriting of a child.

Prosecution counsel Marissa Parker said Sharon Martens had made one statement but that the state had not been able to cross-examine her. She maintained Sharon Martens had sought to control interviews carried out with the children at a neutral venue.

In her statement Sharon Martens said on the day of the killing Jason Corbett had been drinking before she arrived with her husband and their dogs.

She said after they had gone to bed, she heard her daughter screaming and some thumping. She said the dogs started barking. She said her husband had left their guest bedroom and said he would calm things down or else call the police. She said later the noise stopped and she thought things had calmed down. She said she fell back asleep and was woken later by a police officer.

Ms Parker questioned assertions by Sharon Martens that she had heard screaming by her daughter but then later just fell asleep. She maintained the claims were “not credible”.

Prosecutors also took issue with a report filed for the defence by a North Carolina police officer with an expertise in investigating domestic abuse and attacks by strangulation. He said images taken and comments made by Molly Martens Corbett were consistent with someone who had been choked.

Ms Parker argued that the police officer was not an expert. She said Ms Martens Corbett struggled with and had a complicated relationship with the truth.