The father-in-law of Jason Corbett, the murdered Irish businessman, has admitted hitting him repeatedly with a bat. Thomas Martens told a court that he acted in self-defence after believing that his son-in-law was going to kill his daughter, Molly Martens.
Ms Martens, 33, and her father, 67, a retired FBI agent, deny the second-degree murder of Mr Corbett at Panther Creek, North Carolina.
Mr Martens said he was sleeping in the basement on August 2, 2015 when he heard thumping and screaming at about 3am and grabbed an aluminium bat and went upstairs to investigate.
“It sounded bad,” he said. “Like a matter of urgency.” Mr Martens said he found Mr Corbett trying to choke his daughter. “I said let her go, and he said, ‘I’m going to kill her’,” Mr Martens said.
He said that Mr Corbett began inching toward a hallway leading to the bathroom holding Ms Martens, and it was then that he hit him on the back of the head with the bat.
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“I was afraid that he’d get to the bathroom, and that would be the end of that,” Mr Martens said.
He said that the first blow had little effect and once in the bathroom, he hit the back of his head again.
Mr Martens said that when they were back in the bedroom, he attempted to hit Mr Corbett again but he caught the bat with his left hand and Ms Martens was able to wiggle free.
“I’m thinking the next thing is going to be a bat in the back of my head,” Mr Martens said. He said he then rushed towards his son-in-law.
“If I stay [on the ground], I figure he was going to kill one of us or the both of us,” Mr Martens said.
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Mr Martens said there was a struggle for the bat but he kept hold of it and continued hitting Mr Corbett until he fell down.
“I hit him until I thought he could not kill me,” he said. “He said he was going to kill Molly, and I certainly felt he was going to kill me.”
He said he then told his daughter to call 911 and gave a statement to Nashville police without the presence of a lawyer. “I didn’t think I needed to [call a lawyer],” Mr Martens said. “I did what I did.”
The prosecution asked Mr Martens about his experience with the FBI. He told the court that he was trained in self-defence and had been taught how to shoot. He also had “use of force” training and learnt how to use a baton, which he agreed could be used similarly to an aluminium bat. The prosecution asked if it was an intentional decision to strike Mr Corbett and Mr Martens said “yes”.
“[The head] was the area of the body that I hoped would not likely result in injury to my daughter,” he said. “I had a very limited choice given to me. I couldn’t effectively get to Jason’s body that I thought would be debilitating.”
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Mr Martens insisted that he was not aware of any fights between Mr Corbett and Ms Martens before the night of the incident. He said that he once noticed bruises on his daughter but did not know how she got them.
The prosecution asked if Mr Martens was aware of Mr Corbett’s assets and that he had transferred approximately $350,000 to buy a house at Panther Creek Court. Mr Martens said he was not aware.
The prosecution later asked Mr Martens about statements he made on previous occasions indicating his disapproval of Mr Corbett. According to the prosecution, Mr Martens told detectives that Mr Corbett, from Limerick, “never measured up to my daughter”.
Mr Martens said he aware that his daughter was a beneficiary of her husband’s life assurance policy but said he was not aware that the payout of the policy was $600,000.
Authorities said Mr Corbett was planning to leave his second wife and return to Ireland. The trial at Davidson County superior court continues.