LEXINGTON, N.C. — Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens appeared in Davidson County court on Monday.
Corbett pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter while Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
The jury trial that was supposed to take place in Forsyth County next week will not happen. The judge said there was a factorial basis in the plea and both pleas have been accepted.
This all started back in 2015 after the murder of Irish businessman, Jason Corbett.
Molly Corbett, Jason's wife at the time, along with her father Tom Martens, claimed the two acted in self-defense, saying Jason was strangling Molly one night during an argument.
Back in 2017, both Corbett and Martens were sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of Corbett's husband Jason.
In 2021, the state supreme court overturned their convictions citing errors in the trial.
Since the beginning, both have claimed self-defense in Jason Corbett's death and were expected to continue that defense in this new trial in Forsyth County which will no longer take place.
The family of Jason Corbett flew from Ireland to be in the courtroom Monday which included Jason's 16-year-old daughter and a son.
Up until this point, there has been a gag order in place where many of the key players like witnesses and the defendants weren't allowed to speak with the media about the case. That gag order was lifted on Monday.
A sentencing hearing is taking place at the Davidson County courthouse at 2 p.m.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or search for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.
Stay connected to local, national, and breaking news: Download the WFMY News 2 app.
►Text the word APP to 336-379-5775