00:00:01
[Music] Jason, he was an amazing human being. When he was young, he was fun and vivaceious, a little bit giddy. So,
00:00:20
you're the big sister. I'm the big sister. Yeah. By about 3 and 1/2 years. That's just enough to be able to tell
00:00:26
him what to do. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think he always appreciated it. Jason was a 31-year-old
00:00:35
widowerower with two tiny children. He decided that he needed support and decided to engage the services of an
00:00:46
Opair that was Molly Martins. I always knew her as kind-hearted. She loves other people more than she
00:00:55
loves herself. I would describe her even growing up as just remarkably altruistic.
00:01:01
She was good with the kids. Jason started to smile a bit more. There was definitely something between
00:01:08
them. The two of them looked very happy. Jason was always the romantic type. He shouldn't have been alone for the rest
00:01:14
of his life. He proposed to her on Valentine's Day. The wedding was was beautiful.
00:01:24
She seemed happy. Was a lot of things changed when they moved to America. Jason started to talk
00:01:33
about moving home. He wasn't happy. He said she was acting strange. He would open up and say they were
00:01:41
having difficulties and then he would change the subject. When they moved to the US, I definitely start to notice
00:01:48
more uh verbal altercations and verbal abuse. Jason was yelling at Molly. Davidson County 911. My name is Tom
00:01:58
Martins. My son-in-law got in a fight with my daughter. I intervened and he's in bad shape. We need help. What do you
00:02:06
mean he's in bad shape? He's hurt. He's bleeding all over and I I may have killed him.
00:02:12
He's got my throat like this. I was screaming, "Help." And Danny was screaming, "I'm going to kill you." And
00:02:20
I said, "Let her go. Better go. I'm kill. He walks in that scene. A nightmare. Without Tom Martin's heroic efforts that
00:02:31
night, Molly would be dead. They claims that it was self-defense. So, you're telling me you think that whole thing
00:02:38
was staged? Yes, 100%. And the entire story that the two of them tell about Jason choking Molly, in your mind, that
00:02:47
is entirely a lie. Yes. The Martins didn't just murder Jason, but he was very controlled and
00:02:55
abusive. They tried to destroy his character. Tell him that guy was crazy. I would have done anything I needed to
00:03:04
do to get justice for Jason. [Music] [Music] covering blood. All right, listen carefully. I'll tell you how to do chest
00:04:03
compressions. I'll set a pace for you. One, two, three, four. The call came in the early morning hours of August 2nd,
00:04:12
2015. I'm I'm certified. I I just can't think. Okay, you have to stay calm. Let your
00:04:20
training take over. We need to try and to do this to help him. Okay. Okay. All right.
00:04:27
Police arrived at this Winston Salem, North Carolina home to find Jason Corbett beaten to death and his blood on
00:04:35
his wife Molly. They knew who did it. Molly and her father Tom Martins. The question was
00:04:43
why he's got caught by the throat like this. Just hours later, Tom, a 30-year FBI veteran, explains he'd been spending
00:04:54
the night at his daughter's home after being awakened by a commotion upstairs. He says he grabbed a little league
00:05:02
baseball bat he brought as a gift for the kids and ran to her room. and he sees me come in and he goes around her
00:05:11
throat like this and I said, "Let her go and turn like, you know, let her go. I'm going to kill her." Tom says his
00:05:22
protective instincts as a father instantly kicked in. I hit him with the baseball bat and he
00:05:29
reaches out and he grabs the bat and he's stronger than I am and he pushes me down and I'm scrambling on the floor.
00:05:38
The glasses fall off. Now I'm thinking he's going to kill me. Molly told investigators the same story.
00:05:48
He tried to hit my dad. I think what he might have missed and I um I hit him on the head.
00:06:00
She hit Jason with a paving stone that was sitting on her nightstand. You had a bird on your nightstand?
00:06:08
Yeah. What was that? What was that for? Um the kids and I we're going to paint paint these bricks and flowers
00:06:19
around the mailbox. Um I get the back. Can't tell you how many times I hit him. I can't tell you
00:06:29
like it's [Music] bad in Ireland. Jason's sister, Tracy Lynch, still cannot comprehend that he
00:06:45
died this way. I just couldn't process it. It was um that you he was my best friend and we
00:06:53
were just two of the closest people in the world to each other um outside of my husband and children. Tracy and Jason
00:07:01
were part of a big Irish family in Limmerch. She remembers her brother as a kind and
00:07:07
caring soul. We would just spend summers in uh Spanish Point in County Clare. Uh
00:07:13
hang out, fish, just kind of normal traditional Irish upbringing really. We looked like each other, but we were
00:07:20
different in so many ways. Jason was Wayne Corbett's twin. Would he have been the quiet one or anything? Oh, no. No.
00:07:27
Jason wouldn't have been quiet. No, he you would hear him before you see him. Jason married his first wife, Mags
00:07:37
Fitzpatrick, when he was 27. They had two children, Jack and Sarah. They were just so happy and so excited with life
00:07:47
and so enthusiastic about it as well. And and they had Sarah, and you know, I remember them saying that they had that
00:07:54
their family was complete. They had their little prince and princess. But in 2006, shortly after having their
00:08:01
second child, Jason's storybook life came to an abrupt end. When Mags, a longtime asthmatic, suddenly had an
00:08:10
attack. Max woke Jason to say that she was feeling wheezy and he set her up. She started to take her nebulizer
00:08:18
um and she started to get progressively worse. We found out later they called him in and told him that she had died in
00:08:25
the ambulance on the way to the hospital. And how old was he? He was 30. So 30 years old. Yeah. With a 2-year-old
00:08:33
son. Yeah. 12week old daughter. With two very small children still at home, Jason Corbett had no choice but to
00:08:44
pick up the pieces and move on after Mags died. A year and a half later, 25-year-old Molly Martins answered an ad
00:08:53
for an Opair. She arrived in Limmerick in March 2008. I met Molly the day she arrived in the
00:09:02
airport in Shannon. Jason's longtime friend, Lynn Shanahan. And what was your impression of her when you met her? Um,
00:09:10
my first thoughts and the first sentence to my own husband were, "This is not what Jason needs right now." Why? The
00:09:18
minute I saw her with the big bouncing curls, she was in her 20ies. She had a big bright colored coat, fur collar,
00:09:28
cowboy boots, was dressed and makeup done like a pageant queen, as we would have said. She just seemed not the nanny
00:09:38
type. But Molly's uncle, Mike Ernest, says she was great with kids. She grew up babysitting, always loved children.
00:09:49
Molly Martins had grown up in Knoxville, Tennessee. She dropped out of Clemson University and was looking to begin a
00:09:56
new chapter in her life. I think, you know, she maybe was looking for something uh different and that this
00:10:03
might get her involved too in in something that I think she was passionate about, which is children. In
00:10:08
Limmerick, Molly instantly connected with Jason's children. three-year-old Jack and one-year-old Sarah. He liked
00:10:16
her. She seemed gentle with the kids. We started to see, you know, a little glimpse of the old Jason coming back
00:10:24
that he was just, you know, not so sad all the time. That's when Jason and Molly's relationship changed from
00:10:32
professional to personal. We went on holiday together. The two of them looked very happy. The kids were happy. and
00:10:40
they were soon making long-term plans. It was here at Freddy's Beastro in Limmerch on Valentine's Day 2010,
00:10:49
nearly 2 years after Molly Martins arrived to be an Opair that Jason asked her to be his wife. Molly was over the
00:10:59
moon and immediately began planning for a wedding back in the States. They came and um said that they got engaged and we
00:11:07
opened a bottle of champagne and toasted their future. Was he happy? He was happy. Yeah, he was. He was in love. He
00:11:16
loved Molly. But that happiness wouldn't last for long. Davidson County 911. What is the
00:11:24
address of your emergency? [Music] [Music] I'm telling you, that guy was crazy. So, there's a history of domestic
00:11:49
violence at the house. Yes. Tones that have been going on forever. Molly Corbett and Tom Martins continued
00:12:01
to give Davidson County investigators a blowby-blow account of what they say happened that night in that bedroom. By
00:12:10
now, they've washed off Jason's blood. Okay. Um, you know, survived his resurrection.
00:12:18
I didn't I didn't think so. Tom claims that when he arrived earlier that evening to visit Molly and the
00:12:27
kids, Jason was drunk. They all went to bed without incident. But hours later, Jason's daughter Sarah woke up from a
00:12:36
nightmare. She thought fairies on her insects and spiders and lizards. [Music] In the middle of her interview, Molly
00:12:49
tells investigators she's in pain from the chokeold Jason had her in. They photograph her, including a red
00:12:58
mark on the center of her neck. It's hard to see in this photo. They also take pictures of Tom.
00:13:10
Okay. Did you get that? Yeah. It was from another night. another one. But as Molly and Tom tell tales about
00:13:25
Jason's abuse, Jason's family had a different story. They say Molly was the one who caused problems in the
00:13:33
relationship for years. The person in Ireland was very different to the one that we met in Tennessee.
00:13:40
Jason's family supported the marriage, but when they arrived in the States for the wedding, they say they noticed Molly
00:13:48
was behaving strangely. She was just very controlling. She was angry, I would say. Um, and for someone who was about
00:13:57
to get married, she just wasn't herself. She stayed in bed, curled up in a ball,
00:14:04
um, didn't come out and socialize with anybody. And that, she says, wasn't the worst of it. What really set alarm bells
00:14:13
ringing for me was when one of the bridesmaids told us before the wedding that Molly had told them that she had
00:14:23
been friends with Mags, Jack and Sarah's mother, before she died of cancer. And Mags didn't die of cancer. She died of
00:14:30
an asthma attack. And of course, Molly never knew Mags. Jason's family was beginning to wonder
00:14:38
if he was making a mistake by marrying Molly. And I said, "You're the most unhappiest married man I've ever seen on
00:14:45
his wedding day." Jason's best friend and groomsman, Paul Dylan, thought he should walk away. And I asked him to
00:14:52
just leave her and just get on the plane and go home. And he said he can't. He made the commitment.
00:14:59
This man believes the Corbetts had a reason to be concerned. My name is Keith Mcinn and Molly Martins is my former
00:15:05
fiance. Molly had been engaged to another man who says they were still together when
00:15:12
she left for Ireland to become Jason's Opair. She had a lot of things going on. She had migraines. She had insomnia. She
00:15:21
basically she spent a lot of time just soaking in the bathtub. Sometimes just crying on the bathroom floor.
00:15:29
Keith claims both he and Molly struggled with mental health issues that he describes in a self-published book
00:15:37
written before Jason died. He gave us no records to back that up. Although Molly's medical records from years after
00:15:45
her time with Keith show that she was diagnosed with depression. Her brother Connor is reluctant to talk about it.
00:15:54
Much has been said about Molly's mental health. Are you comfortable addressing that? I don't want to come in on that.
00:16:02
At the time of the wedding, according to Molly's family, all was well, and she was happy to be walking down the aisle
00:16:08
with Jason. She looked very happy, and she looked like she was very happy to be getting married.
00:16:17
Jason was able to get a job transfer with the packaging company he'd worked for in Ireland.
00:16:23
He and Molly settled into the suburbs of Winston Salem, where Molly got a job as
00:16:28
a part-time swim instructor, but spent most of her time with Jack and Sarah. I was concerned for Jason and his
00:16:36
children. He had moved locks, stock, and barrel from Ireland, packed up his whole
00:16:40
life, sold his house, gave up his job, and was on the cusp of a new life. Well, my impression was that things
00:16:50
seemed to be okay. I don't know if they seemed to be great. I did see occasions where there seemed like there were
00:16:58
issues coming up. After 4 years, Molly was closer to the children than ever and considered
00:17:06
them her own. But her relationship with Jason was in trouble. Jason started to talk about moving home. He wasn't happy.
00:17:14
Did he say why he wasn't happy? A lot of it was down to the relationship with Molly. Um, she was acting strange. There
00:17:21
was things occurring that he wasn't comfortable with and he missed Ireland, wanted to move back, but he knew and
00:17:29
said that there would be huge difficulty in him coming back once Molly found out.
00:17:34
And the kids at this point, they call her mom. Yes, she is their mother. Yes. Molly had always wanted to
00:17:42
officially become Jack and Sarah's mother, but Jason would not allow it. He didn't want to take the only mother
00:17:50
they'd ever known away from them. But he wouldn't allow her to adopt them. Yes. Why? Because of what she had said about
00:17:59
Max and because of her erratic behavior. She waited until just before the wedding
00:18:04
and then all these stories came out. So when we spoke, he said he just couldn't.
00:18:08
How could he go ahead and allow Molly to adopt the children when he had all these
00:18:13
issues of trust? Now with Jason dead, police ask Molly about his family. Jason's decision not
00:18:23
to allow her to adopt Jack and Sarah hits hard. I'm scared of going to take the kids. Did you adopt the children?
00:18:30
No. Okay, then that's a real possibility. The thought of losing the children is more than Molly can bear. But
00:18:40
investigators offer Molly a light at the end of a dark tunnel. This point after talking to your dad to talk to
00:18:48
you, looks like this is going to be self-defense. Okay. I don't think there's going to be an issue with that.
00:18:59
[Music] Tracy says when she got the horrible news of Jason's death, she knew it could
00:19:13
not have been self-defense. Jason was a gentle person. As Molly and Tom claimed,
00:19:19
I kept ringing Molly. She wouldn't return my calls. Her parents completely stonewalled us. I got 30 seconds on the
00:19:28
phone with Jackie to tell him that I loved him and I was coming over to be with him.
00:19:33
Tracy says she was desperate to get to Jason's children as soon as possible. I was terrified. Yeah. What were you
00:19:40
terrified about? I was terrified she would kill them. You thought that Molly might kill the children? Absolutely.
00:19:46
Years before, Jason had named Tracy legal guardian if he were to die. And Tracy knew Molly would not give up the
00:19:54
kids without a fight. She immediately flew to North Carolina and filed for custody. Sure enough,
00:20:02
Molly filed a motion for custody as well. No one knew what scenario was playing in Molly's head, what she
00:20:09
thought she needed to do, or was there a chance that they would be in danger if she knew they were taking them from her.
00:20:19
During the troubled marriage, Molly had asked an attorney what her rights to the
00:20:24
children would be in the event of a divorce. She also secretly recorded arguments with Jason. Are you finished
00:20:32
with your dinner, hun? I'm talking to you. Is this how you treat this? You just ignore me. I said I'd like to have
00:20:39
dinner with my son. I'm talking to you. I shouldn't have to say it over and over. I shouldn't have to say Molly. Can
00:20:44
you guys get out of the stuff? No, you're See, here you go again. You're so good at I'm talking about so fast.
00:20:51
[Music] This friend says Molly spoke with her about Jason. So prior to his death, you never talked
00:21:00
to her about their relationship? No. And after his death, has she talked to you much about Jason and that relationship?
00:21:07
Yes. We agreed not to use her name or show her face. She says she's been threatened by Jason's supporters. There
00:21:16
were, you know, some signs that things weren't right. Like what? Controlling behavior, some of the bad language and
00:21:24
calling her names and and then it just progressively got worse. Forced sex, stuff like that.
00:21:31
Molly never reported any abuse to police. Molly has said that Jason was verbally abusive, had started becoming
00:21:40
physically abusive. Do you think that any of that is possible? I don't believe any of that is true.
00:21:50
4 days after Jason died, both of his children were interviewed by a social worker. Tell me why you're here. My dad
00:21:58
died and people are trying my aunt and uncle from my dad's side are trying to take away take me away from my mom. Jack
00:22:10
and Sarah are asked about the night their father died. I don't want my dad to wake
00:22:16
up. Tell me why that's not because he just gets really really angry because why'd you wake me up? Jack even explains
00:22:25
the odd presence of the paving stone in the bedroom. It was in my mom's room cuz
00:22:31
it was raining earlier and we already and we were going to clean it. We didn't want it getting it all wet. When a
00:22:37
social worker asks the kids about their parents' relationship, both seem to support Molly's claims of abuse.
00:22:48
What did you mean? Um, punching, hitting, pushing. Has anyone told you what to say when other people
00:22:56
talk to you? I'm just saying say the truth. That's all she said. But Tracy says that is not the truth.
00:23:06
You believe that Molly or someone in the Martins family coached the children? I'm
00:23:12
certain of it. The children were removed from Molly's care and placed with Tracy,
00:23:18
who was staying at a hotel in North Carolina as the custody battle waged on. No matter
00:23:27
what, I'm sure. Tom and Molly were allowed a visit. It would prove to be one of their last. Lots of people. lots
00:23:36
of people. I love you so much. I love you. 16 days after Jason was beaten to death,
00:23:51
Tracy prevails. Jack and Sarah would be heading back to Ireland with her and away from Molly, the only mother these
00:23:59
children have ever really known. She was very, very devastated. She could, you know, barely function. I mean, she
00:24:08
was absolutely distraught. In the months following their return to Ireland, Tracy
00:24:13
says that Molly repeatedly tried to contact Jack and Sarah, posting numerous messages on social media, hoping that
00:24:21
somebody here in Limmerick would pass them on to the children. Did you feel that Molly had any rights to them at
00:24:29
all? No. Molly had murdered their father. Um, and that's what I firmly believed at that point.
00:24:38
Tracy had a new battle on her hands. Justice for Jason after the autopsy. And I recall the
00:24:47
sheriff saying that it was blunt force trauma. She was told that Jason suffered at least a dozen blows to the head. I
00:24:55
looked at my brother in the coffin and witnessed just the devastation that one human can inflict on
00:25:05
another. After those first interviews, Molly and Tom heard nothing more from authorities. Despite Molly being told
00:25:13
that the attack on Jason looked like self-defense, I don't think there's going to be an
00:25:18
issue with that. A murder investigation actually kicked into full gear. And in January
00:25:25
2016, five months after Jason died, father and daughter are shocked when they are charged with seconddegree
00:25:33
murder. I mean, of course, they're devastated. Tom, the FBI veteran of 30 years, would now find out what it's like
00:25:41
to sit at a criminal defense table. They were both aware of the possibility that
00:25:46
they might not walk out of that courtroom. Correct. [Music] [Music] Yeah, you have to take care and
00:26:05
attention. Look at this. We were under a lot of pressure as a family and you know, we were concerned. Were they going
00:26:15
to be charged? So, it was a relief that the charges were brought. Tracy felt sure from the beginning that
00:26:22
Molly and Tom did not kill her brother Jason in self-defense. In fact, she believes she knows the real motive.
00:26:30
There isn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Jason was beaten to death because he was going to leave with the
00:26:36
kids. Tracy says Jason's plans to move back to Ireland with Jack and Sarah, but without Molly had finally come together.
00:26:46
She and Lynn believe Molly found out that night. I think Jason became surplus to her requirements. She didn't need him
00:26:56
anymore. She just wanted the children. After knowing her for years, Lynn thinks Molly had been plotting to get the kids
00:27:04
away from Jason for some time. She was playing the long game that she was telling people that he had been abusive.
00:27:11
She had her recordings. talk. You're still going to talk about some she would have a case to get the
00:27:19
children from him. While awaiting the trial, Tracy settled Jack and Sarah into their new home back
00:27:27
in Ireland. They had intensive therapy, she says, and adjusted well. Is it true that your father was a victim or false?
00:27:38
Um, false. Nine months after returning to Limmerch, Jack recanted what he told social
00:27:45
workers after his father was killed. What did Molly say? We were going into an interview. Um she was saying a lot of
00:27:54
story making of stories about my dad saying that he was abusive and she started saying if you don't lie I'll
00:27:59
never ever see you again. Jack says he only has one motive for telling the truth now. and I find out what happened
00:28:07
to my dad and I want justice to be served. Jack was 14 years old and Sarah was 12
00:28:14
when we were in Ireland. They did not want to be interviewed, but the family did allow us to take video of
00:28:23
them. Molly Corbett and Tom Martins went on trial together in July 2017. Family and friends of both the Corbetts
00:28:32
and the Martins turned out in force. What was it like to be so close sitting by and and in the same room with Molly
00:28:40
and Tom? Um it was very very difficult. You're sitting there and looking at, you know,
00:28:48
two people that had done something that was so malicious and insiduous and ferocious. We thought we had evidence
00:28:56
stacked up behind us a mile high. Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin was confident the state would prove that
00:29:03
Molly and Tom murdered Jason with malice. The viciousness and violence and excessiveness of the injuries that Jason
00:29:12
suffered was really the cornerstone of our case. Not only had the autopsy stated Jason suffered at least a dozen
00:29:20
blows to the head, the exact number could not be determined because he'd been struck repeatedly in the same spot.
00:29:29
We looked at the damage to his scalp. Um the his scalp was literally ripped from his skull. His skull was
00:29:41
crushed. For comparison, the jury was shown pictures of the defendants taken that same night. They didn't have a
00:29:48
scratch, an abrasion. Molly had a delicate bracelet on her that that night that she continued to wear um throughout
00:29:58
the trial. Martin says that makes Molly and Tom's claim of self-defense a tough cell.
00:30:05
You cannot be engaged in a Donny Brook like they described with a man who is bigger than
00:30:14
you, stronger than you, taller than you, and not have a mark on you. It's just not possible. A blood spatter expert
00:30:25
bolstered that argument. You can tell by looking at the spatter on the wall that
00:30:29
Jason's head was 12 to 18 in off the floor when some of the blood struck. Martin says that meant Tom was standing
00:30:37
over Jason, still swinging after Jason could no longer have been a threat. I've known Tom Martins for 50 years. This is
00:30:46
not someone who loses control. This is not someone who is going to kill someone out of malice. I absolutely do not
00:30:56
believe there's any way Tom would hit him while he's down. The defense pointed to photos that showed Molly did have
00:31:04
that red mark on her neck. And a nurse practitioner testified that at a checkup just two weeks before he died, Jason
00:31:13
said he'd been more stressed lately. He had complained of getting angry for no apparent reason. One strand of long
00:31:21
blonde hair was found in Jason's hand. It was likely Molly's, but was never tested. And the autopsy indicated there
00:31:30
were defensive wounds to Jason's left arm, but not to his right. The one in which he supposedly held Molly. He said
00:31:38
he was going to kill Molly. Still claiming he did what any father would do to protect his child. The
00:31:45
defense's star witness, Tom Martins, takes the stand. No cameras were allowed, but there is audio. I
00:31:54
certainly felt he would kill me. I felt both of our lives were in danger. I did the best I could. Molly did not
00:32:04
testify and the defense was not allowed to offer evidence regarding Jason's alleged abuse. I did not like some of
00:32:12
Jason's behavior, particularly with regard to my daughter. That does not mean that I demonized the man. Tom
00:32:19
testifies he went only as far as he had to. Once I got control of the bat, I hit
00:32:25
him until I considered the threat to be over. And when I considered the threat to be over, I quit hitting him. Did
00:32:32
Jason make the threat to be over when he went down? During closing arguments, Alan Martin used the bat and paving
00:32:41
stone from the Corbett bedroom to hit home his point at the prosecution table. How much force does it take to split the
00:32:50
flesh all the way to the skull? You know what malice feels like from the brick that Molly had? It feels like I hate him
00:33:00
and I want those kids. That's what malice feels like. After nine days of testimony, arguments,
00:33:09
and crime scene photos so graphic we can only show you isolated images, the jury
00:33:15
deliberated for just 3 hours. If they're coming back this fast with two unanimous
00:33:21
verdicts, that's a really good sign. Molly and Tom were found guilty of secondderee murder. It was just
00:33:30
overwhelming belief really. They beat him horribly and viciously. And no human being
00:33:45
deserves to leave their marital bedroom with their skull destroyed like what happened to Jason?
00:33:54
Had you been thinking that it was possible that a a guilty verdict might come back? I did not think it was
00:34:00
possible that both of them would be convicted of seconddegree murder. Molly and Tom were immediately sentenced to 20
00:34:07
to 25 years in prison. That's when Molly turned around in court and said something to her mother. I'm so sorry. I
00:34:16
should have just let him kill me. But as it turns out, this case may be far from over. Mistakes were made at
00:34:27
trial. [Music] You saw tears. There were tears. I even had a few tears there while the verdicts
00:34:49
were being ran through. After the verdicts, as Tom Martins and Molly Corbett were led off to prison, the jury
00:34:57
foreman described his struggle. It wasn't an easy decision. Somebody's life changes. And then he blurted out
00:35:05
something that could potentially put those freshly minted verdicts in jeopardy. We didn't discuss a verdict,
00:35:13
but in having private conversations, everybody we could read that everybody was going in the same direction. Did the
00:35:21
foreman just admit the jury discussed the case prior to deliberations? If so, that would be a direct violation of the
00:35:30
judge's daily instructions to wait. It's been pounced upon to say, "Aha, these people got together and started
00:35:39
deliberating before they were supposed to." Prosecutor Alan Martin disagrees. What I hear is we're a group of people
00:35:48
who were sitting together seeing all these events transpire in the courtroom together
00:35:54
without talking about it. We can read each other's body language while we're in the courtroom. But within days, the
00:36:01
defense filed a motion to have the verdict thrown out based on jury misconduct. The trial judge denied that
00:36:09
motion. But one year later, the defense went to the appellet court. This time arguing there were numerous errors at
00:36:18
trial. There's part of me that maybe has some thankfulness that so many errors were made at trial. That leaves room for
00:36:28
a proper appellet decision in favor of Tom and Molly. For one thing, there were blood stains on the hem of Tom's boxer
00:36:36
shorts that the state said indicated he'd been standing over Jason as he swung the bat. Those stains were assumed
00:36:43
to be Jason's blood, but they were never tested. It's not practical, reasonable,
00:36:49
or feasible to test every single blood spot in every location. Then there's the matter of the
00:36:55
statements from Jack and Sarah. Tell me why you're here. My dad died. Molly's brother Connor is upset that the trial
00:37:03
judge did not allow them in. The kids statements say that Jason was was an abuser. What did you do? Um
00:37:12
puncture him and those interviews were conducted in professional environments on multiple
00:37:18
occasions where Molly was not present. And to the allegation from the Jason side of the family that they were
00:37:23
coached by Molly, I mean the interviews were conducted by by professionals. and that's that's their job. Like, why would
00:37:32
the prosecution try so hard to prevent that from coming from trial? It's only evidence for the jury. Let them make
00:37:37
that decision. Jack's statement recanting what he'd said after he'd returned to Ireland was
00:37:44
also never heard by the jury. Is it true that your father was abusive or false? Um, false. The Martins family has
00:37:54
maintained all along it is that statement that was coached. Um uh she was saying a lot of story making of
00:38:01
stories about my dad saying that he was abusive. Do you think that the recanting
00:38:04
should be allowed in too? I don't think so under the conditions. But if they can't then the jury can discern which is
00:38:11
which is truthful. Oh yes. Oh yes. Oh yes. The court of appeals is now in session. In January
00:38:18
2019, the state appeals court makes the rare move to allow oral arguments in Molly and Tom's case. Once again, both
00:38:28
families flocked to the courthouse with Tracy flying in from Limmerick. There is
00:38:34
always another step or there is always something else to face. Neither Tom nor Molly are present in the courtroom. How
00:38:41
does she feel her chances are with the appeal? I don't know. I I think that she is cautiously
00:38:49
optimistic, but um I think that there's a lot of hopelessness, too. It's hard to
00:38:55
trust the system after what they've gone through. Each side has just a half hour
00:39:01
to make its most important points. The defense goes first. There are a number of statements from the children,
00:39:11
including dad got mad for no reason. It was air to exclude them. But the prosecution pushes back. The fact that
00:39:19
somebody makes a statement doesn't mean that it's trustworthy. The children didn't want to go back to Ireland. They
00:39:23
had friends. They had schools. They were used to the USA. Uh they rode horses. They lived in a nice house. They were
00:39:29
comfortable. The defense, all we're asking for is a fair trial. Makes an impassioned
00:39:37
argument about jury misconduct. In having private conversations, everybody, we could read that everybody was going
00:39:45
in the same direction. A juror is confessing on the courthouse steps not even an hour after the verdict that they
00:39:52
engaged in private conversations. Are you concerned about this appeal? I'm not concerned about it. I think the case was
00:40:01
really, really strong. Mike says it is strength of a different kind that keeps Tom going.
00:40:11
Tom, I think even as he sits in this atrocious miscarriage of justice, knows that he saved his
00:40:20
daughter's life. And you know, I think he can sleep at night knowing that even if she is in prison, she's not dead.
00:40:30
Back in Ireland, Tracy waits for the appeals court's decision. She's written a book about this case and
00:40:38
Jason. I wrote the book to give him back his character. The Martins, Molly Martins in particular, tried to destroy
00:40:46
his character. I smiled briefly to myself as I realized that Jason eventually found
00:40:52
himself back in the only place on earth he ever wanted to be, in the arms of his
00:40:56
beloved Mags. She finds comfort that her brother is buried in Limmerch next to his first
00:41:04
wife and the mother of his children. Jack and Sarah picked out the picture to change on the headstone from Mags to
00:41:13
both of them. I hope they're together somewhere. The memories just flow to the surface and you know they'll always be
00:41:24
part of our lives. [Music] [Music]