The Jason Corbett manslaughter case will today hear evidence showing that his two children rescinded their statements recounting instances of domestic violence in their home in the US.

The two children, Sarah who was then aged eight and Jack who was then aged 10, gave statements four days after their father was beaten to death at their home in North Carolina in 2015.

His wife, Molly Martens Corbett and her father, Tom Martens were originally convicted of his murder; however, the North Carolina Supreme Court later ordered a retrial.

They have now accepted charges of voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea deal and a court hearing in Lexington North Carolina is now hearing submissions ahead of sentencing.

At the hearing yesterday the court was shown video footage of interviews conducted with the children at North Carolina Social Services Agency Dragonfly House days after their father’s death.

Jason Corbett

Journalist Ralph Riegel has been in court throughout the hearings and told The Pat Kenny Show that yesterday was a ‘quite extraordinary’ day of evidence.

“I think it's very important to say two things,” he said. “Firstly, those Dragonfly House interviews have since been completely contradicted and the statements retracted and recanted by the two children.

“That happened just a couple of days after the children returned to Ireland following a custody hearing in North Carolina in August of 2015.

“The other thing to point out is the fact that the statements were made after the children had been four full days in the sole custody of Molly Martens and her family.”

Thomas Martens (left, white hair) sits with attorneys during a hearing on Monday, October 30th 2023, for Martens and his daughter, Molly Corbett, in the 2015 death of Molly's husband, Jason Corbett at the Davidson County Courthouse in Lexington, North Carolina. Image: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo

He said the video interviews “outlined a troubled marriage and relationship”.

“Both Jack and Sarah said that they had seen their father and pushing and hitting Molly Martens,” he said.

“Sarah at one point said that she saw her father pulling her mother's hair, rolled over her foot on one occasion and she said she wasn't sure whether it was an accident or whether it was done on purpose.

“Jack actually used the word physical and verbal abuse in terms of describing the relationship.”

He said both children were full of praise for Molly Martens – and it emerged that, “Molly had told both children that the Irish family or their Irish relatives would try and take them back from their US home and bring them back to Ireland”.

Mr Riegel said the statements were withdrawn when the children returned to Ireland following “quite a bitter custody battle”.

He said “one of the most extraordinary aspects of what was an extraordinary day” was seeing the children, now aged 17 and 19-years-old watching their own interviews in court.

“The dignity with which they and the Corbett family have faced these entire proceedings really is beyond any words of mine,” he said.

“Sarah, at one point, did get quite upset and emotional and she briefly left the courtroom to compose herself, and she was supported by family members – but it must have been exceptionally difficult for the children, and I've no doubt it was difficult for the Martens family as well.”

He said the prosecution will today bring forward evidence showing the statements were rescinded but it is unlikely the children will take to the stand themselves.

He said the hearings are likely to continue until the end of next week.

The judge will then decide on a sentence which could run anywhere from probation to 17 years in prison.

The judge has already noted that the 17-year option will not apply and Mr Riegel said the consensus “seems to be that the sentence in play will be somewhere between two or three years and up to nine years”.

“It's worth noting that if the judge opts for a sentence of three and a half years or less, both Tom and Molly Martens will walk free on the basis that they've already served that amount of time in custody.”

Main image is a splitscreen showing Molly Martens Corbett and Thomas Martens in court.