BREAKING: Father and daughter win challenge against convictions for murder of Limerick man Jason Corbett

FATHER and daughter Tom and Molly Martens have won a challenge against their convictions for the murder of Limerick businessman Jason Corbett.

The 39-year-old died in 2015, with the pair convicted almost three years ago of the second-degree murder of the Janesboro man at his home in North Carolina.

The Irish Independent reports that following this ruling, they are now likely to get a full retrial, a move which will cause shock and anger to Mr Corbett’s family, which includes the chief executive of Tait House community enterprise centre Tracey Lynch, who is his sister.

Earlier this Tuesday, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld their challenge to the convictions.

The full judgement on the appeal will be posted by the US court later this Tuesday.

As the appeal was upheld by majority rather than unanimous verdict, it will go to the North Carolina Supreme Court for review. It will be a matter for the North Carolina Supreme Court to order a retrial.

However, it is a normal course for retrials to be ordered in those circumstances.

North Carolina prosecutors are now pressing for a Supreme Court review having opposed the appeal.

The convictions will now be set aside and it is expected that a new trial in Davidson County will be ordered.

Tom, 68 and Molly, 34 Martens beat the businessman and father of two to death as he lay asleep and helpless in bed.

Tom Martens, a retired FBI agent, claimed he acted in self-defence and alleged Mr Corbett had been attacking his second wife, Molly, who is Mr Martens daughter.

However, the Corbett family maintained that the Irish businessman was planning to bring his children back to his native Limerick amid increasing concerns over his wife's mental health problems.