Mr Corbett’s sister, Tracey Corbett Lynch, travelled to North Carolina with Mr Corbett’s children Jack (16) and Sarah (14), in recent days to get an update from the District Attorney in charge of prosecuting the case.
Ms Corbett Lynch said her family was “devastated” to learn of the DA’s offer to the Martens, which she said, “has let them get away with murder”.
Molly Martens had flown to Limerick after she was hired by Mr Corbett to be nanny to his two children from his first marriage to Margaret Fitzpatrick-Corbett, after Ms Fitzpatrick tragically passed away from an asthma attack in 2006.
They later formed a relationship and married in North Carolina, where Mr Corbett and his two children relocated.
Despite the Martens’ claiming Molly was attacked by Jason on the night he died, and that she and her father had fought back using weapons, their trial heard that traces of a sedative drug were later found in Mr Corbett’s system and their were no defence wounds or marks on either Molly or Tom.
Almost 9,000 signatures have been added to an online petition launched by the Corbett family, which seeks a “Retrial for Molly and Tom Martens”, which will be sent to Davidson County DA, Garry Frank.
In a letter to US President Joe Biden, DA Garry Frank, Jason Corbett’s brother, John P Corbett, wrote of his “dismay” at the plea bargain offer to “two cold narcissistic individuals”.
“My many colleagues in the UK NHS health system, are also totally dismayed how two cold blooded murderer’s are being gifted leniency by the North Carolina Justice system,” said Mr Corbett, who is based in East Anglia.
“Two cold individuals who used weapons way beyond the reasonable amount of force necessary to kill someone (I have 21 years military service). Two individuals who did not have a scratch on them..(in their obscene self defence plea). Some individuals would get five years in prison for theft.”
“We as a family, like any family in the world who have lost a family member to a brutal cowardly murder, would want normal justice. Sadly the justice system seems, in this case, to be working for the murderers, and not for the life they have coldly taken for their own narcissistic agenda.”
“It is a truly sad day as all eyes are on the inequality and injustice being played out at the moment in North Carolina.”