Jason Corbett gave $80k to wife Molly’s parents
Molly grilled as it emerges murder co-accused father got money
MURDERED f ather- of- two Jason Corbett transferred $80,000 to Molly Martens’s parents – one of whom is accused of his murder – in May 2011.
The revelation came as the Limerick man’s second wife, who also stands accused of his murder, answered questions about allegedly breaching a court order by having furniture and other items removed from the house where he died.
During the grilling she admitted that she was a stay-at-home wife who did not contribute much income to purchase many of the items in question.
The 32-year-old and her father, Thomas Martens, both face charges of second- degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Jason Corbett in the US town of Wallburg, North Carolina, last August.
Molly Martens, of Panther Creek Court, testified for nearly two hours regarding the controversial removal of property from the home on January 21. She had been summoned to the court by lawyers acting for Mr Corbett’s sister Tracey Lynch. The news of the clear-out of the house that Jason had shared with his second wife Molly, prompted Ms Lynch to contact her US lawyers over the matter.
Presiding over the hearing, Davidson County Clerk of the Superior Court, Brian Shipwash, withheld a decision on the claim, saying petitioners were unable to point out specific violations, leaving him to sort through testimony and records to determine if any violation occurred.
Attorney Edward Griggs questioned Ms Martens about items removed from the home by her legal team and family.
Mr Griggs went item by item asking about her acquisition of everything taken from the home and who paid for any items purchased by the family.
During her testimony, Ms Martens claimed the purchase of many items, saying she used a Chase credit card under her name to pay for furniture, groceries and clothing. Money to pay the credit card bills, she said, was taken from a j oi nt bank account s hared between her and her husband.
Ms Martens admitted to supplying ‘ not a significant’ amount of money to the joint account, saying she primarily stayed home with Mr Corbett’s two children.
‘He worked and he was my husband,’ she said of Jason Corbett. ‘I stayed home and was his wife.’
Mr Griggs asserted to the court even though Molly Martens’s name appeared on the credit card, funding for the bills came from an account supported primarily from her husband’s income.
Those purchases, he said, cannot then be claimed as her property, rather that of the estate.
Mr Griggs also raised questions about a transfer from the account of Jason Corbett to Molly Martens’s parents in the amount of $80,000 in May 2011.
After her testimony, Mr Griggs asked for a pursuit of discovery, which would give him the authority to access bank records to determine if Jason Corbett provided money to Molly’s parents for any of the items in the home.
Defending Ms Martens, attorney Bryan Thompson called for a denial of any violation by taking items, saying Mr Griggs and his team had had their day in court and were unable to provide any witness or testimony proving a violation occurred.
Thompson said approximately $12,000 is owed on the Chase credit card and is being paid solely by Molly Martens.
Ms Martens said she was recently working as a sales associate for Chico’s women’s clothing outlet in Knoxville, Tennessee, before being put on temporary suspension while her murder trial plays out.
Mr Shipwash adjourned Tuesday’s hearing by saying he would take the matter under advisement for determination of any violation.
Last year Ms Lynch, who prompted the case over property being removed, defeated Ms Martens in a custody battle for Mr Corbett’s children from his first marriage, Jack, 11, and nine-year-old Sarah.
‘Completely cleared out’