Retrial of father and daughter accused of murdering Limerick man in United States delayed
THE RETRIAL of Molly and Thomas Martens for the murder of Limerick man Jason Corbett has been delayed until the Autumn.
Jason, formally of Janesboro in the city, was brutally bludgeoned to death with a bat and a brick at his home in the United States on August 2, 2015.
His wife (Molly Martens) and his father-in-law (Thomas Martens) were found guilty, in 2017, of his second degree murder.
The pair's conviction was subsequently overturned on appeal and a retrial ordered.
However, according to Ralph Riegel of the Irish Independent, the retrial, which was scheduled to proceed in North Carolina on June 26, has been delayed by almost five months.
It's reported that a new date of November 6 has been fixed but there has been no clarity as to why the retrial has been rescheduled.
Jason Corbett's teenage daughter Sarah Corbett-Lynch, has posted a plea on social media urging for the retrial to be heard sooner rather than later.
Jason's second wife, Ms Martens, (39) was the nanny for his two children after their mother, and Jason's first wife passed away in 2006. Her father, Mr Martens (72) is a retired FBI agent and former intelligence operative for the US Department of Energy.
The family of the deceased, who are based in Limerick, had originally pressed for the retrial to take place last year, but it was then scheduled for June, where Jason's two children were prepared to prospectively give evidence against their father's killers.
The defendants argue that they acted in self-defence after a row started over control sought by Ms Martens of Jason's two children.
A strict gag order, imposed by Judge David Hall, means none of parties in the case are allowed to comment without his expressed approval.