Family of Jason Corbett criticises ‘malevolent, cruel and vicious’ actions of Molly and Tom Martens on eve of prison releaseThe family statement said: 'We draw solace from witnessing Jack and Sarah, the remarkable children Jason left behind, blossom into exceptional individuals he would undoubtedly be proud of.
“The heinous actions of Tom and Molly Martens not only took Jason’s life in a malevolent, cruel and vicious manner but they also set about to tarnish his reputation and use his children in a self-serving attempt to evade accountability,” they said through a statement issued on the eve of the Martens’ release. They were also condemnatory of how Molly Martens had behaved towards Mr Corbett’s children after their father’s death.
The Martens accepted a plea deal in which they admitted to voluntary manslaughter in October of last year, a week before a new trial on charges of second-degree murder had been due to begin. The defendants had been found guilty in the original trial when Molly Martens was sentenced to 20 years and her father, Tom, a former FBI agent, given a 25 year term. That verdict was overturned on appeal by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2021.
“Their lack of remorse for the irreparable harm caused to Jason’s children, whom they callously orphaned, is a stark reminder to all of their callous disregard for human life and decency,” the statement from Mr Corbett’s family continued.