DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — A Davidson County judge sentenced Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens in the 2015 Jason Corbett murder case Wednesday.
Molly Corbett was sentenced to 51-74 months, while Tom Martens was also sentenced to 51-74 months. That's about 4 to 6 years each.
This decision came a little more than a week after the father and daughter took pleas in court for voluntary manslaughter.
Both have already served 44 months each and will receive credit for their time served.
Molly is to be assessed by the prison for suicide precautions. A psychiatric evaluation was ordered and no treatment was indicated. Tom and Molly will have no contact with Sarah Corbett or Jack Corbett.
"I don't know the truth," the judge said, "I have used every experience In my life to make this fair and impartial."
The judge said this case has a lot of holes in it, but one thing he knows for certain is that the children, Jack and Sarah Corbett are blameless in this matter.
Closing Arguments
The Assistant District Attorney, Alan Martin, got emotional when talking about the Corbett children, who were 8 and 10 at the time of their father's murder.
Martin said, "It's nothing but a miracle that these two children don't have the sights and sounds of what happened that night, seared into their brains."
Martin said the family has had enough and the people responsible for his murder in 2015 need to be held accountable.
The state continued their closing arguments saying Molly had a plan. They claim she planned this event before she and Jason Corbett even got married, in order to get custody of Jack and Sarah Corbett.
Martin closed by saying, "There were three people in the room that night. Two people walked out, and one person was rolled out."
Then, it was time for the defense to leave their closing arguments.
The attorney for Molly Corbett, Douglas Kingsberry spoke.
He said they believe that "defensive" force was used in the killing of Jason Corbett.
Kingsberry claims the murder was not premeditated and that Molly and her father Tom Martens were acting in self-defense.
Molly's attorney reminded the judge that Jason had a history of domestic violence and he wanted Molly to do whatever he said in their relationship.
Kingsberry stated they believed all the lethal blows made that night were from the bat, not from the brick paver, and Molly wasn't the aggressor in this case.
Wrapping up closing arguments were Tom Martens's attorneys, Jones Byrd and Jay Vannoy.
Martens' attorneys have been representing him since August 3, 2015, and said they can confirm that Tom only cares about his family through this.
Martens's attorneys said Tom walked into his daughter's bedroom in August 2015 to a parent's worst nightmare.
Byrd said Tom used basic human survival instinct to save his daughter.
Martens's attorneys said Tom is well aware of the evidence in this case and knows he violated the law.
Extraordinary mitigation was used a lot by Tom's attorneys.
Byrd said, "Sending Tom back to prison is more punishment, not justice."
Martens's attorneys said they accepted the hearing and they accept the judgment.
The attorney also said Tom Martens told him before getting taken away, “Go take care of my family”
Martens' attorneys believe there are extraordinary, mitigation and the sentence should be decreased. They also expect Tom to be out in seven months.
Wednesday: Molly Corbett and Tom Martens address the judge
In court, Molly Corbett addressed the judge.
She said she is fully aware of what happened in 2015. She also did the best she could as a wife, a mother, and a human. Not an hour goes by that she doesn’t feel the weight of her actions. Molly said she wished it never happened, and has to bear a heavy burden every single day.
Her father, Tom Martens also made a statement in court.
Tom said he has respect for the law. After reviewing the evidence himself, he believes his actions were excessive. He told the judge he was sorry, but said he opened the bedroom door to hell the night of Jason Corbett's murder. Tom said he had to save the only daughter he had, and had no choice.
Tom ended with, "I did the best I could."
Wednesday: Victim Impact Statements
Jason Corbett's children, 19-year-old Jack and 17-year-old Sarah spoke to the judge for the first time since the sentencing hearing started.
Jack said Molly told him to lie and taught him how to manipulate, while she was married to his father. Jack went on and said his father was the most caring, funny, gentleman and he feels lost without him.
Jack said he lost his teacher, supporter, and best friend. Now, he has to go through his childhood and adolescence without his father.
Jack said, “I will never heal."
Because of what happened in 2015, Jason's son said he has lost his trust in people and this tragedy has destroyed him. Jack referred to Molly as a monster and said the Martens family weaponized his and his sister's statements from 2015, which ended up being recanted.
Sarah Corbett then spoke.
Sarah told that judge that she will never get a father-daughter dance. Her father will never get to walk her down the aisle or meet his grandchildren. Sarah said the Martens' made her an orphan.
Sarah said sitting in the courtroom for the last week and a half has been traumatizing for her.
Sarah claims that Molly beat Jack, and she had to pull Molly off her brother countless times. Sarah believes she was only a piece on Molly’s chessboard.
Sarah said, "While my friends are going out to parties and having fun, I go to therapy. I do not love Molly Martens and she is not my mother. She took everything away from me. There was nothing voluntary about the murder."
Sarah said she will be getting a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice so she can help other families.
In court, Sarah Corbett said, "I’m proud to be Jason Corbett's daughter."
Jack and Sarah now live in Ireland with their aunt, Jason's sister, Tracey Lynch.
She also spoke to the judge on Wednesday.
Lynch said she lost the most influential and most important person in her life.
She said back in August of 2015, her world came crashing down and she's been struggling to find peace ever since.
Lynch describes her brother as committed to raising his children. A gentle lion, who only wanted to love and be loved.
Lynch said Molly and Tom didn't just take the life of Jason Corbett. They also took the lives of the children they were supposed to have.
"Don't let these innocent children down. I am asking for a positive change, and the maximum punishment," Lynch pleaded to the judge.
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.
Here is what we learned 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 were consistencies with domestic violence abusers and Jason, which he said there were.
The state argued 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 said he doesn't agree. 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 where 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.
Keep up with the hearing:
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