Molly Martens’ lawyers claim finding fair jurors ‘impossible’ in husband’s murder retrial

Especially when “the Irish have relentlessly painted a factual narrative for residents of Davidson County that Jason Corbett was a kind, gentle husband and father”, they recently alleged.

Martens’ lawyers have provided an 11-page chronology of social media posts that he claims proves the media coverage of the case will impact a fair jury – all 11 pages are redacted, Evoke.ie reports.

"For more than seven years now, through books, interviews and social media postings, the Irish have relentlessly painted a factual narrative for residents of Davidson County that Jason Corbett was a kind, gentle husband and father whose first wife suddenly died from an asthma attack, and who was later brutally assaulted – without cause – by his evil second wife,” he said in a motion to change the trial venue.

A widower whose first wife died suddenly from an asthma attack, Jason Corbett had hired Molly as a nanny before the pair began a relationship and moved to the US with his children.

The father-of-two was found beaten to death in the bedroom of his North Carolina home in 2015.

Molly (39) and her father Tom (72) were found guilty of the second-degree murder of Limerick man Jason in 2017.

Their convictions have been overturned by the North Carolina Court of Appeals and a retrial is set to begin in June.

Molly, however, has been fighting to have the case moved to a different jurisdiction as she claims previous coverage and “support for the Irish” make impartial jurors “impossible” to come by in Davidson County.

In a recent hearing, Douglas Kingsbery, Molly’s lawyer, claimed the notion that Jason Corbett was “a kind, gentle husband and father whose first wife wife suddenly died from an asthma attack, and who was later brutally assaulted – without cause – by his evil second wife” is “disputed.”

"Yet, in truth, these are disputed claims that go to the very heart of what a jury must decide based upon the evidence presented at trial,” wrote Mr Kingsbery.

Martens’ lawyers also claim that multiple jurors and members of law enforcement were impacted by the intense media coverage during the first trial.

The Irish Sun reports that Mr Kingsbery recently told a hearing that the jury foreman “echoed a theme long trumpeted on social media by the Irish - that Molly was bipolar and displayed dual personalities.”

He claims another juror also expressed an “us versus them” sentiment in favour of law enforcement and prosecutors against the “outsider” accused.

The sheriff of Davidson Country during the first trial, David Grice, was accused by Martens’ lawyer of posting “support for the Irish” on social media.

Judge David Hall is scheduled to hear Molly Martens’ – and her father Tom’s – requests to relocate the retrial this Friday.

He has issued a gag order on everyone involved in the case, including prosecutors, witnesses and criminal defence attorneys.

The Corbett family in Ireland are included in the gag order.