‘Praying for justice’ – Limerick stands in solidarity as Corbetts await verdict
THE parents of Jason Corbett, who was beaten to death in his North Carolina home, have said they are praying for justice for their son.
Mr Corbett, 39, died from catastrophic head injuries on August 2, 2015, after he was struck a number of times with a metal baseball bat and a stone garden paving slab.
His wife, Molly Martens Corbett, and her father, retired FBI agent Thomas Martens, are both on trial in Lexington, North Carolina, charged with second-degree murder.
As the trial jury began considering its verdict in the US, Mr Corbett’s heartbroken parents John and Rita Corbett, attended a special mass in Limerick, commemorating the second anniversary of their son’s death.
The mass was broadcast live online and members of the Corbett family attending proceedings in Lexington were said to be tuning into the emotional gathering.
Speaking outside St John’s Cathedral, an emotional Rita Corbett,76, said: ‘It’s been a nightmare.
‘No one could understand this, unless they’ve lost their own children. ‘It’s heartbreaking. ‘It’s hard to pick yourself up again, I can tell you.’
Ms Corbett said she and her husband were hoping for guilty verdicts in the trial.
‘Definitely, we are hoping for justice, that’s it,’ she added.
Standing at his wife’s side, John Corbett, 81, said he was feeling ‘very down’.
He said they were hoping their children and loved ones, who were attending proceedings in the US, would ‘get back home (soon)…
‘That’s the whole thing, get the lads back home, out of it,’ he added.
Rita Corbett said she hoped her family could ‘grieve in comfort’ once the trial ended.
She added: ‘We’ll never move on, to be honest, never, never.’
The mother described as ‘too horrible’ her son’s killing, as well as the gruesome details surrounding his death, which were heard during evidence at the trial in Lexington.
‘It was like a nightmare,’ she added.
Ms Corbett thanked those who have supported the Corbett family through their ongoing ordeal.
‘I’ll tell you this, the Limerick people are great people.
‘When you need them they’re there,’ she added.
Pauline Corbett, Jason Corbett’s sister-in-law, also thanked the large crowd that came out to attend last night’s Mass.
She said: ‘The support is overwhelming from everyone here.
‘You couldn’t ask for more, they’re great people.’
Hundreds thronged into the cathedral for the sad yet uplifting musical mass.