THE family of a Limerick man bludgeoned to death in his US home will discover today if his two children will be allowed to return to Ireland.
Jack Corbett (10) and his eight-year-old sister Sarah had been in the custody of their stepmother Molly Martens (32) since their father Jason died after suffering blunt force trauma to his head at the family’s North Carolina home in the early hours of August 2.
However, the children’s Irish relatives learned late on Tuesday night that a judge had ordered that guardianship be granted to Mr Corbett’s sister Tracey and her husband David Lynch.
Officials removed the children from the care of their stepmother Ms Martens and ordered her to hand over their Irish passports.
The court’s decision is believed to have been based on interviews conducted by officials from the Department of Social Services.
Clerk of Davidson County Superior Court Brian Shipwash will rule today if the youngsters, whose Limerick-born mother Mags died from an asthma attack in 2006, can travel with the Lynch couple when they return home.
Ms Martens, who is originally from Tennessee, formed a relationship with 39 year-old Mr Corbett after working as the children’s nanny.
The couple married after moving to North Carolina four years ago.
However, Mr Corbett is understood to have rejected several requests by Ms Martens to allow her to legally adopt the children and his will stated that they should be placed with their aunt in the event of his death.
The stepmother and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, were both present in the house when Mr Corbett died after allegedly been struck with a baseball bat and have been questioned by police.
Mr Corbett’s eldest brother John yesterday said the guardianship ruling was a “very positive move” that would bring “so much relief to all the pain in our hearts”.
He claimed the Martens had “obstructed” the repatriation of the victim’s remains to Ireland for several days.
Jason Corbett’s remains are currently in the care of undertakers in his native city with his family vowing that a funeral will not take place until his children are present.
Speaking to RTÉ he was highly critical of the Martens family saying they had “inflicted” pain on the dead man’s relatives that was “totally unforgiveable”.
