KILLER DAD’S ‘LIE’ OVER JASON DEATH
Three witnesses demolish claim by accused father of Molly Martens
STARTLING claims that alleged murder victim Jason Corbett caused the death of his first wife have been utterly rejected by the woman’s mother, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.
These revelations are the latest twist in the dramatic US trial, in which Molly Martens and her father Tom deny murdering Limerick father of two Mr Corbett. In a sensational court document, filed
earlier this month, Mr Martens claims that Mr Corbett had been blamed for the death of his first wife, Mags Fitzpatrick. He also alleges that Ms Fitzpatrick’s own father Michael told him this at the US wedding of Mr Corbett to Molly in the US.
Mr Martens, a retired FBI agent, goes on to argue that this would have influenced his own state of mind during the row with Mr Corbett in which the 39-year-old father of two was killed.
However, although Mr Fitzpatrick is now dead, his family have spoken to the Mail to reveal that he was not even at the US wedding in 2011 and so could not have spoken to Mr Martens at it.
In a powerful and emotional statement to the Mail, Marian Fitzpatrick, the widow of Michael and mother of Mags Fitzpatrick, has labelled Mr Martens’s claims as ‘blatant lies’.
‘My husband was not at Jason’s second wedding,’ she said. ‘None of us were, so the incident described at the wedding in the States is nothing more than a fabrication. We were in Ireland at the time, so it’s physically impossible that Tom Martens had any conversation with my husband in Tennessee.’
And in interviews with the Mail, several other guests at Mr Corbett’s second wedding confirmed Mr Fitzpatrick was not there.
Mags Fitzpatrick, the mother of Mr Corbett’s two now-orphaned children, Jack and Sarah, died in 2006 following an asthma attack. Her father Michael died late last year.
Mr Martens, 66, and Molly, 33, are charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter of Mr Corbett.
A document filed by Mr Martens’s lawyers, on June 6 in Davidson County, states that the ‘defendant, Thomas Michael Martens, through his legal team alleges: While attending the 2011 wedding of his daughter Molly Martens Corbett to Jason Corbett, the defendant Thomas Michael Martens was approached by Michael Fitzpatrick (since deceased), the father of Jason Corbett’s late first wife Margaret Fitzpatrick. On that occasion, Mr Fitzpatrick told Mr Martens that he believed that Jason Corbett caused the death of his daughter.’
It also alleges that ‘Mr Martens witnessed Jason Corbett, a man far... more physically powerful than he or his daughter, choking his daughter and threatening to kill her, and thereafter acted in defence of his daughter, and eventually in his own defence.’
The documents add that the claims about Mr Fitzpatrick are ‘highly relevant’ to Mr Martens’s state of mind during the alleged altercation – specifically the belief that his actions were necessary to protect both him and his daughter from ‘deadly force at the hands of Mr Corbett’. However, a police investigative report into Mr Corbett’s death states that ‘the struggle described by Ms Martens and her father ‘was not consistent with the evidence at the scene’.
Mrs Fitzpatrick broke down as she described the agony she felt in light of the claims, which were carried by media outlets here and in the US. ‘These claims have been deeply hurtful,’ she said.
‘I recently lost my own father as well as my husband. It’s a very difficult time. If you had known my husband you would know he was a gentleman. If there had been any risk to Mags, he would have stepped in, or I would have.
‘My husband was not at the wedding’
But the truth is that these claims are all blatant lies. Michael got on extremely well with Jason. He was a great husband to Mags and a wonderful person. My husband never, ever said what has been alleged. Never. This is extremely upsetting for myself and our family but we know the truth.’
And other guests at Mr Corbett’s second wedding, in Knoxville, Tennessee, have also told the Mail that Mr Fitzpatrick was not in attendance.
‘Michael Fitzpatrick was not at that wedding,’ said Brendan O’Callaghan, Mr Corbett’s best man. ‘None of the Fitzpatrick family were. I could list off everyone from Ireland who was there.
‘I was Jason’s best man. I was there for the rehearsals, the wedding ceremony, the reception, the whole lot. I know for a fact that Michael Fitzpatrick was not there.’
Mr O’Callaghan, who is godfather to Jason’s son Jack, added: ‘I don’t know why Mr Martens is making up these allegations. Mags died of an asthma attack. There was a postmortem.’ Karen Gorey, whose daughter was a flower girl at the wedding, said she found the allegations ‘deeply disturbing’.
‘Michael Fitzpatrick wasn’t there,’ she said. ‘His passing is still very raw so these claims have been very upsetting for his family. The allegation is extremely serious and the fact is it is simply untrue. The fact he is not here to state that says it all. It’s a very low blow to drag a deceased man into a lie.’
Tom Martens and his daughter will stand trial on July 17 in Davidson County, North Carolina. Efforts by their legal team to get the trial moved to a neighbouring county failed last week.
‘Mags died of an asthma attack’