GREENSBORO, N.C. — The sentencing hearing for Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens continues Tuesday in Davidson County. This is entering the second week.
Corbett and Martens first appeared in court Monday, Oct. 30, where Corbett pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter while Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the murder of Jason Corbett in 2015, preventing the case from going to retrial.
A judge is deciding how long they should be in prison.
Here's what has happened so far on Tuesday.
The defense brought in an expert to the stand, who is the director of a domestic violence program. This program deals with domestic violence, abusers, and victims. The defense is trying to shed light on domestic violence and tie it to Molly and Jason‘s relationship, confirming domestic violence in their marriage. Remember, we heard from witnesses who testified that they never saw Jason abusive to Molly. The domestic violence expert said, "abusers are very secretive about their tactics of control.”
The expert stated the reports that witnesses made regarding Jason constantly calling Molly when he was not with her are a sign of control and an example of trying to keep control, as well as social isolation.
The domestic violence expert said abusers seek to create conflict, and he believes that the sense of dominance and sense of entitlement that Jason displayed started before his relationship with Molly.
The state argues that Molly was 'all about the kids' which is something that was repeated throughout the hearing. They claim that she would've done anything to keep them, including stretching the truth.
The state questioned the material that the expert received ahead of this hearing.
The expert only received what the defense gave him, which did not include the recanted statements from the children who took back what they said about the abuse in the Corbett home.
He said he was brought in to review the information provided and see if there are consistencies with domestic violence abusers and Jason, which he says there were.
The state argues that Molly had resources and opportunities to leave Jason and end the abuse. The expert thinks otherwise, saying Molly wasn't going to leave the children.
The state believes Molly created this event to manufacture evidence to get people on her side, and then she lost control of the situation. The expert says he doesn't agree with that saying he believes Molly loses the children whether Jason dies, or he lives and takes them from her.
The state argues that Molly showed signs of abuse, telling the children, "Your dad is not a good dad," as well as signs of narcissism.
The state ended its cross-examination by showing pictures to the expert of Jason's body after the murder, the scene, as well as Molly and Tom hours after the murder.
The state asked, "Do you think these injuries were that of reasonable force?"
The expert answered, "It is a measure of how terrified Molly and Tom were."
Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. George Corvin assessed Tom on behavioral control in January 2023.
Dr. Corvin said Tom has a type of personality. He uses logic and thinking over emotion. He said Tom was acting on impulse and didn’t know what he was doing.
A brother-in-law, his son, family, friend, and former coworker have all testified on Tom's behalf. They all said that Tom is an exceptionally dedicated father. They also spoke to the fact that he takes care of his wife who had cancer in 2017 and now has eye issues and cannot drive very well. His son claims that he wants to be a father like him when he gets older. The family friend said that Tom is a pillar of the community and never lost his cool or raised his voice.
Here's what we learned Monday:
Monday morning, the defense brought two forensic pathologists to the stand. Both of them are speaking on the death of Jason Corbett's former wife, Margaret.
Margaret's death is relevant because Molly's attorney says Jason has a history of domestic violence, and they believe Jason's former wife was killed by him. The defense is trying to argue and explain just how dangerous they believe Jason was.
Both pathologists believe Margaret did not die because of an asthma attack, but instead, they believe she died from strangulation. One pathologist said her cause of death could have been the result of heart issues, but according to reports, she had no history of heart defects.
The state is arguing there are many causes of death in Margaret's case, and that Molly isn't being truthful about the details associated with Jason's death.
The state said Monday that there were interviews conducted with witnesses in the murder of Jason.
They said according to those interviews, Molly had a tendency to tell people lies about her life, and they believe she is stretching the truth when it comes to the night Jason was murdered.
Both pathologists said whenever Margaret died, there was redness around her nose and mouth, which is associated with strangulation. Dr. Bill Smock said there is something called delayed death that follows manual strangulation. This means Margaret could have been strangled and then died hours later due to swelling in the throat.
The defense has continued to argue Jason's death was the result of self-defense, while the state argues it was overkill. The judge is hearing testimony from several experts and witnesses to decide on sentencing.
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 by searching 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.