Family of slain Limerick man Jason Corbett 'retains faith' as murderers' appeal begins

THE FAMILY of slain Limerick man Jason Corbett “retains its faith” in the justice system as his murderers begin their bid to overturn their convictions. 

Molly Martens and her father Tom this week began their appeal against their second-degree murder convictions for the brutal killing of the father-of-two from Janesboro in 2015. 

The appeal, which is expected to take between two to six months, began on Thursday at the North Carolina Court of Appeals in Raleigh. 

“We wait again to hear what the response is but we retain our faith in the North Carolina justice system,” said Tracey Corbett Lynch, the sister of the late Mr Corbett. 

“I expect it to be upheld.” 

“Molly and Tom Martens beat Jason to death with a brick and a baseball bat and then they beat him some more after he was dead and all the evidence pointed towards that,” Ms Corbett Lynch said. 

Ms Corbett Lynch was speaking to Newstalk from North Carolina, as she attended the opening of the Martens appeals trial. 

She is accompanied by her sister Marilyn, her brother Wayne and friend Lynne Shanahan. 

“I’m sure they will exhaust every legal avenue that is open to them and utilise every resource but a jury of their peers has already found them guilty.” 

“We just want to make sure Jason has a voice. (Molly and Tom Martens) tried to destroy his character and our job is to continue to speak for Jason.” 

“This is about Jason and that they continue to be made accountable.” 

Ms Corbett Lynch, who is the legal guardian of Jason’s children Jack and Sarah, said the appeals process has been “tough”. 

“We look into Jack and Sarah’s eyes everyday and we see that loss that can never be replaced.” 

“They are doing good. They are very brave, very resilient. They are surrounded by love and support. They’ve lost their dad and that can never be replaced.” 

Ms Corbett Lynch also thanked the people of Limerick for their continued support. 

“I’m not going to pretend its all ok, it's tough but we have a great network around us and I thank God for that everyday for the support from friends and family.” 

“We’re very grateful for it. The people of Limerick came out from the very start and provided support, and they continue to.”