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Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Evil killer Molly slept with Jason four hours after arriving in Ireland
EXCLUSIVE | Martens bedded Corbett on the day she arrived in Ireland as part of twisted plot to get custody of kids The beautiful blonde, then aged 24, had arrived in Ireland in March 2008, just four weeks after leaving a psychiatric unit in Atlanta, Georgia. Corbett (31) had lost his first wife, Margaret 'Mags' Fitzpatrick, 15 months before Molly's arrival. Martens seduced Corbett within four hours as the first step in what detectives and US prosecutors believe was a pre-determined plan to ultimately take custody of his two children. Molly Martens Corbett and Jason Corbet The couple moved to America and married in 2011. Four years later, Corbett was beaten to death with a baseball bat and brick in the master bedroom of his North Carolina home by Molly and her father, former FBI agent, Tom Martens, Detectives and prosecutors in North Carolina believe Molly Martens planned from the outset to take Jason's children from him. The details are revealed in A Deadly Marriage, a new book about the killing, which will be published by Penguin on August 21. As co-producer of A Deadly American Marriage, the hit film viewed 32 million times on Netflix, I spent several years researching the case. The book reveals fresh leads in the killing, a new witness, evidence which appears to have been removed from the crime scene, and a significant twist — previously undisclosed forensic findings, which question whether, ten years after the killing, justice was ever really served. Jason Corbett and Molly Martens on their wedding day in 2011 The Martens claimed they acted in self-defence when striking Corbett at least 12 times with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and a brick; that Molly was the victim of domestic violence, and that Jason had been choking her on the night. They would go on to allege that Jason killed his first wife by strangling her, and that they believed he would kill Molly next. A North Carolina court heard in 2023 the unanimous verdict of experts for both Molly and Tom Martens and the prosecution that Mags Fitzpatrick did not die due to complications arising from an asthma attack, as previously determined by an Irish pathologist. However, US detectives, prosecutors, the Corbett and Fitzpatrick families have all dismissed the Martens' allegation that Jason may have killed his first wife as totally unfounded. Molly Martens and Tom Martens The Fitzpatrick family said Jason remained a loved and cherished member of their family long after Mags, his 'soulmate', had died. The lead detectives investigating the killing of Jason Corbett — Michael Hurd, Brandon Smith,and Lt Wanda Thompson — all believed the bloody crime scene did not match claims from the Martens' that Jason had been choking Molly on the night and that they acted in self-defence. The back left and right sides of Jason's skull were crushed from repeated blows. Martens's seduction of Corbett is revealed in a tranche of investigative case notes from detectives, prosecutors, and social workers, and in witness statements from Molly and Jason's neighbours in Meadowlands, North Carolina. Jason Corbett and Molly Martens Corbett with Jack and Sarah Corbett-Lynch Lt Thompson's notes record: 'Ms [Tracey] Lynch said her brother told her he started a sexual relationship with Molly Martens on the very first night she arrived in Ireland. She said Jason told her at one point that he had been so lonely and distraught over the loss of Mags that he welcomed Molly Martens into his home and bed to try and fill the void.' Molly and Tom Martens, meanwhile, had no injuries, and apart from some bloodstained clothes, they showed no sign of having been in a 'fight for their lives', as they had described events to detectives hours after the killing. When detectives learned that Martens slept with Corbett on her first night in Ireland, they viewed it as potentially highly significant, especially when they later discovered that she had spent several days in a secure psychiatric unit in Atlanta, Georgia, just four weeks before she arrived in Ireland to care for Jason's children, Jack, then three, and Sarah, then 18 months old. Molly, left, swears on the bible as she pleads no contest to voluntary manslaughter Martens was suffering a mental health crisis, her bipolar disorder causing her to spiral out of control. She detoxed from 15 different medications during her stay at Emory Hospital. A month later she arrived in Ireland determined to take Corbett's children. This pre-determined plan was confirmed years later when psychiatrist, Dr David Adams, assessed Molly prior to a sentencing hearing in November 2023. He found Molly's plan all along — from soon after she arrived in Ireland to work as an au pair — was to take his children. A young Molly Martens 'The primary focus of her (Molly's) existence before she married Jason Corbett was to adopt these two children, then divorce him and then have custody rights of the two children,' he said. Martens consulted a divorce attorney months before marrying Jason to find out her rights to the two children should she divorce the widower. Corbett paid $25,000 for Molly's infertility treatments, but she could not have children of her own. He would not allow her to adopt his children, fearful this would give her a legal right to custody of Jack and Sarah should they divorce. After her marriage, Martens consulted three separate attorneys specialising in family law and custody disputes about her rights to Jack and Sarah. On the advice of one of these attorneys, Melissa Sams, Molly began secretly recording her husband, hiding recording devices throughout the house, including in the master bedroom where Corbett was killed. Molly Martens Martens claimed she made the recordings to prove that she was a victim of domestic violence. Detectives believed there were up to 150 hours of secret recordings and there was a possibility that the killing itself was recorded. However, the District Attorney for Davidson County, Garry Frank, was only provided with two audio recordings, neither of which featured physical violence, just raised voices and arguing. Lieutenant Thompson, the head of Davidson County's Criminal Investigations Division, told me that they concluded Molly Martens was orchestrating events to catch Jason losing his temper on the recordings, so that she could apply for an emergency custody order: 'Molly put recording devices around the house, but in eight months, all she produced was two tapes.' Molly Martens-Corbett being led from court after being found guilty of the murder of Jason Corbett. Photo: Donnie Roberts Molly and Tom Martens were both convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017. Their convictions were overturned on appeal in 2020, on the grounds that the original trial jury should have heard allegations made by Jack and Sarah that their father 'punched, pushed, and shoved Molly'. The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Jason Corbett was the 'sole aggressor' on the night. The children had made these allegations against their father to several social workers while they were kept in the custody of their father's killers for 15 days after the killing. When a US court granted custody to Jason's sister, Tracey Lynch, the children returned to Ireland, and months later, recanted all their allegations. They said Molly coached them into making false allegations against their father. Davidson County's District Attorney chose not to have a retrial, and instead entered into a plea deal with Molly and Tom Martens. They accepted the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. A Deadly Marriage 'A Deadly Marriage' by Brian Carroll is published by Sandycove, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and is available online and in stores from 21st August.
Mint
5 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Brewers, buoyed by rally past Reds, seek record 14th win in row
After a remarkable rally extended their winning streak, the Milwaukee Brewers will seek a club-record 14th straight victory when they visit the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday evening. If the Brewers win, they will break a tie with the 1987 team that won its first 13 of the season. That club earned the moniker "Team Streak" with amazing comebacks and different heroes. On Friday night, the current Brewers matched the '87 team with a stunning comeback, wiping out an 8-1 deficit to post a 10-8 victory over the Reds. The result leaves the Brewers a season-best 33 games over .500 at a major-league- leading 77-44. The stars of that '87 team included Rob Deer and Dale Sveum, who homered in the ninth inning for a walk-off win in the 12th game of the 13-0 start. Milwaukee scored five times in the ninth to top the Texas Rangers 6-4 on April 19, 1987. On Friday, Christian Yelich led the way, hitting two homers as part of his four-hit, five RBI night, though he fell a triple shy of his fourth career cycle. He is one of six players who hold the all-time record with three cycles. Friday night marked the start of Players' Weekend, during which major league players can use specially made equipment for a cause. Yelich's was a baby blue Louisville Slugger featuring the image of legendary Brewers announced Bob Uecker, who died in January at age 90. "Obviously, I miss him," said Yelich, who leads Milwaukee with 25 homers. "I didn't even sniff Players' Weekend last year. I had surgery a year ago (Saturday). I'm obviously in a much better spot than I was last year. What a big difference a year makes." The Reds, on the other hand, must re-group after giving up a seven-run, second-inning lead, blowing a chance to leap the New York Mets by a half-game for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. "We've got a lot of fight," said Gavin Lux, whose error on a tailor-made double-play ball opened the door for a game-tying, two-run fourth inning. "The past is in the past. We've got to come up, show up (Saturday) ready to play, and put this one behind us, because we still there was some positives." The Brewers have won 43 of the last 59 meetings against Cincinnati and have a 6-2 edge this season. The Brewers will send right-hander Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.49 ERA) to the mound on Saturday to make his 18th start of the season and 23rd appearance. Priester is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career appearances against Cincinnati. The Reds counter with right-hander Zack Littell (9-8, 3.60), making his 25th start and third with the Reds since being acquired from Tampa Bay prior to the MLB trade deadline. Littell is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA for his new club after allowing four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings at Pittsburgh in a no- decision on Sunday. The Reds won 14-8. Littell is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 10 career games vs. the Brewers. His one start against Milwaukee came on May 9, when he threw six innings of two-run ball in a no-decision for the Rays.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Christian Yelich wasn't sure if he should use his Bob Uecker bat. The Brewers are glad he did
CINCINNATI — Christian Yelich wasn't quite sure if he should use the special Bob Uecker bat that he got for last year's Players' Weekend in Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Yelich had season-ending back surgery before he could use the baby blue Louisville Slugger with a yellow handle a year ago. On the barrel was a design featuring a picture of the Hall of Fame announcer, his name, his home run call, his 'Juuuust a bit outside' line from the movie 'Major League,' a Brewers logo and: 'A True Milwaukee Legend.' Advertisement He'd been able to give one to Uecker last year and wasn't sure if it was right to use it following Uecker's passing this past offseason. He asked Brewers equipment manager Jason Shawger what he thought. 'Yeah, you have to,' Yelich recalled Shawger telling him. 'You have to do it at least once.' Leading off the second inning, Yelich hit his 24th home run of the season with the bat. By the time the night was done, he had collected three more hits, including a go-ahead home run and five RBIs as the Brewers erased a seven-run deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-8 and tie the franchise record with their 13th straight win. 'What can you say about Yelich?' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. Murphy, as is his wont, then said plenty about the 33-year-old former MVP. 'He told me on the bench, straight up, it was 8-1, he said, 'We're going to win this game,'' Murphy said. 'How do you make that statement? He looked at me and said, 'We're going to win this game.' And then … it happened.' As unbelievable as it sounds, it did. The Brewers, playing their first game in a stretch of 19 in 18 days, had All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski back on the mound for the first time this month after his time in the injured list with a left tibia contusion after being hit by a comebacker on June 28. Misiorowski gave up a run in the first and was helped by center fielder Steward Berroa, in his first game with the Brewers and just the 29th big-league game of his career, when Berroa threw out the Reds' Miguel Andujar at the plate to end the first. In the second, Misiorowski struck out the first batter he faced before hitting Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson and then walking the next three batters, forcing in a run and bringing Murphy out to the mound to end his night. Left-handed reliever DL Hall then came into the game and gave up a two-run double to Elly De La Cruz, followed by four straight singles. By the time the second inning was done, the Reds led 8-1. Advertisement That's when Yelich told not just Murphy, but everyone else within earshot that the team would win. 'You never want to go out there and give up a five spot,' Hall said after allowing all three inherited runners to score plus three more of his own. 'But as soon as I'm in the dugout, Yeli's letting me know, 'We're going to win this game. Don't worry, we're going to score runs. Just keep them right there.'' The Reds wouldn't have another baserunner after scoring their eighth run of the game, as six Brewers relievers, beginning with Hall, retired the final 23 Reds of the game. 'It's just like the guys believe and they're a great group and they play together, they don't get too down when things don't go their way,' Murphy said. 'It's the 'next man up' mentality. Nobody on the team knows the Berroa kid and he came and threw a guy out at the plate in the first inning and (Brandon) Lockridge got three hits.' Lockridge was acquired in the trade deadline deal that sent lefty Nestor Cortes to the San Diego Padres. His first game was on Aug. 1, the same day the Brewers put center fielder Jackson Chourio on the injured list. Lockridge had two hits in his first appearance. In his two weeks with the team, he has yet to experience a loss. So it was easy for him to believe Yelich's statement. 'From the little bit I've been here, the way every game has gone, for the most part, it feels like we're scoring double-digit runs every game,' Lockridge said. 'You just keep your head down and play our game.' Lockridge, batting ninth, came to the plate in the third inning, down by seven, with one out to face Reds starter Nick Martinez. Lockridge singled up the middle, turning the lineup over back to the top. After a Sal Frelick single and a popup by Joey Ortiz, catcher William Contreras beat out a double-play ball, keeping the inning alive. Advertisement That brought up Yelich. After the home run, Yelich said he thought about using a different bat. Again, he consulted Shawger. 'Alright, should we just be done with it?' Yelich said to Shawger. 'One and done? That's pretty cool.' 'Naw,' Shawger told him. 'You have to keep going.' Yelich swung at the first pitch he saw from Martinez and hit it off the handle of the bat, blooping into shallow left field, where it eluded a diving De La Cruz and went off the glove of third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, scoring two as Yelich hustled into second. When Yelich got to the dugout, Shawger was there to greet him, saying, 'Ueck would have liked that one better.' 'He was right,' Yelich said. We just kept using (the bat), and it ended up being part of a special night — which, obviously figures. When you're talking about (Uecker), you don't put anything out of the question.' The next batter, Andrew Vaughn, who was traded from the White Sox in June and called up from Triple-A Nashville last month when Rhys Hoskins went on the IL, homered, making it 8-4. The Brewers would add another run and go from trailing by seven runs to a much more manageable two runs just a half-inning later. 'With the way our team is, I knew we weren't going to get our doors blown off,' Yelich said. 'I knew we were going to find a way to get back into that thing. We've just got a room full of fighters, guys who don't care what the scoreboard says. We're down to play whenever, wherever and however.' Yelich came up again in the fourth after Reds second baseman Gavin Lux booted a sure inning-ending double-play ball and tied the game with a single down the third-base line. With one out in the sixth and the score still tied, Yelich came to the plate needing just a triple for his fourth career cycle, all against the Reds, and his third at Great American Ball Park. Instead, Yelich hit his 25th home run of the season, giving Milwaukee the lead. Christian Yelich used a bat honoring the late Bob Uecker in Friday's win over the Reds. He had 4 hits, 2 HR and 5 RBI. You can see 'Rawlings' and Manfred's signature where he hit his first homer. [image or embed] — C Trent Rosecrans (@ August 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM It was fitting that Uecker was part of this home run, the one that tied the 1987 team's franchise record for consecutive wins. It was during the 12th win of the first streak, on Easter Sunday, that Dale Sveum hit a walk-off home run — with the signature, 'Get up, get up and get out of here… Gone!' call by Uecker. Advertisement Even though Uecker died in January, the Brewers feel like he is still with them, especially Friday night. Murphy has pictures of Uecker in his office. He's still talked about with just about every emotion: sadness, reverence and above all else, laughter. Murphy said when the season began, he talked about loss. The loss of shortstop Willy Adames, who signed with the San Francisco Giants in free agency, and the loss of closer Devin Williams, who was traded to the New York Yankees in December. He even talked about the loss to the New York Mets in last year's Wild Card Series on Pete Alonso's home run. And finally, Murphy addressed the loss of Uecker, the Milwaukee native who signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and debuted with the team in 1962. After retiring from playing, he started calling Brewers games on the radio in 1971. He was given the nickname 'Mr. Baseball' by talk show host Johnny Carson. Uecker's fame transcended both Milwaukee and baseball, but nowhere was he more beloved than his home city. And as much as he was loved by the city, he was loved by everyone in the Brewers' organization even more. 'We just have to convince ourselves that he's with us. I think it's true,' Murphy said. 'Heroes will be remembered and legends never die. Somehow, it seems like he's watching over us. I said he's not going to miss a game. He definitely was here tonight. Yeli proved it.' After the game, Yelich showed off the bat, pointing at the scuffs on it. Near the barrel, the remnants of the Rawlings logo on the ball and commissioner Rob Manfred's signature were there from his first home run. Lower, near the handle, was the ink from the MLB logo transferred from the ball to the bat on his bloop double. Saturday, as the Brewers go for a franchise record 14th straight victory, he'll have to make the decision whether to use the bat one more time. 'I don't know. I'll talk to Shawger about it and see what we want to do,' Yelich said. 'TBD. I'll let you know tomorrow.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
NBC Sports
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Drew Brees believes he'd instantly be a top-three game analyst
Drew Brees spent the 2021 season with NBC. He served as the booth analyst for two NFL games. That's what he wants to do. He'll get the chance with Netflix on Christmas Day. And he believes he'll do very well. 'I get the feeling that the perception is that somehow, you know, I failed at being a broadcaster,' Brees said Friday, in an appearance with Dan Patrick. 'I got two opportunities to broadcast NFL games, and they were like eight weeks apart. I did one game in New Orleans for Thanksgiving, and I did one playoff game. Otherwise, I did — I broadcasted Notre Dame football. ''What I really did for the most part was sit behind a desk and do . . . Football Night in America, and then, you know, a bunch of stuff in stadium at the desk, and then the Super Bowl broadcast. But again, at the desk. 'So, at the end of the day, like, I chuckle because even as I look at the landscape right now, I mean, I have so much respect for a lot of guys in the booth right now, but I'd step in the booth right now and be a top-three guy. Like, without question. And then you give me a few years, and I could be the best.' It's a very bold claim that he'd instantly be in the top three. That means (math is hard) only two would be better than him. It's even bolder to say that, within a few years, he'd be the best. Maybe he could be. ''So, look, I love the game, I love talking about the game,' Brees said. 'I feel like I have an insight to the game that is pretty unique, you know, given my playing experience, I see the game a totally different way. I process it a different way. And so even as I watch games now, and I just kind of listen to, you know, the commentary and this and that, and what I'm seeing, I just feel like there's so much more to add. And so, look, at the end of the day, I'm gonna wait for the right opportunity. and, you know, hopefully it comes along, and if it doesn't, that's OK, too, because I'm coaching ball, and I'm involved in the game in so many other ways. But I do feel like I have a ton of value to add in the booth. And so I'm appreciative of Netflix giving me the opportunity to broadcast on Christmas Day, and I'm not sure exactly which game that can be there. There's two on the slate, but that'll be a lot of fun.' The key, as Dan said in response, is reps. Reps and reps and reps. He could get a spot on the CBS or Fox Sunday afternoon depth chart. If he is instantly one of the top three NFL broadcasters on any network, he won't stay on the third or fourth CBS/Fox team for long. The problem is the best seats don't come open very often. At NBC, it's Cris Collinsworth. At Fox, it's Tom Brady. At CBS, it's Tony Romo. At ESPN/ABC, it's Troy Aikman. At Amazon, it's Kirk Herbstreit. (Also, Fox's Greg Olsen has a perpetual donut on his Louisville Slugger in the batter's box.) While Brady and Romo were basically handed their positions without having to work their way into them, that doesn't happen often. Yes, the work and the travel may be a burden. The money (on the Sunday afternoon undercard) may not be much. But that's how it goes in the NFL. Rarely does lightning strike. If Brees believes he can be one of the best, he needs the reps, the reps, and the reps. Doing the Christmas Day game on Netflix because the other networks won't loan their 'A"-team analysts isn't the way to get there. Doing as many games as he can every season and letting the results speak for themselves is the path.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
No UF job, no dignity, no self-respect: Was it really worth it, Santa Ono?
My father died in 1999 – yet 26 years later I still find myself constantly drawing from his bottomless well of sage wisdom, straight-shooting common sense and exquisitely timed advice. OK, OK, OK. There was that one time when my dad, weary of the 11-year-old me hounding him to let me try chewing tobacco so I could imitate Sparky Lyle – one of my favorite baseball players – intentionally withheld some advice that definitely would have been handy: When you chew tobacco, you spit out the juice. You don't swallow the juice!!!!!!! That realization hit me not long after I took the chaw of tobacco out of my mouth. Unfortunately, however, it also hit me after I had projectile vomited across the kitchen table while eating the apple pie my mother gave me and my brothers for our evening snack. (No, I've never touched chewing tobacco again. And, yes, I do suspect that's exactly what my father had in mind when he 'forgot' the 'spit out the juice, son' part.} But . . . anyway . . . I can say I also remember a piece of advice that my dad was willing to share with me – and thankfully so: 'Rog,' he said, 'if you ever fail and fall, do it holding on to your principles and dignity. It won't hurt as much when you hit the ground – and it'll be much easier when you get back up.' Which leads me to these questions: Won't it be painful for Santa Ono to get up off the ground after appearing to toss aside both his principles and dignity in an unsuccessful bid to become the University of Florida's president? Won't it be difficult for Ono to rise to his feet after bending one knee at the altar of 'We hate diversity, equity and inclusion' sycophancy – only to have a Louisville Slugger smashed across both of them by the anti-DEI sycophants he was pathetically pandering to please? Was any of this degrading self-debasement worth it? Was any of this open groveling worth the effort to win the 'privilege' of doing that dumb Gator Chomp on Saturday nights during UF Gators football games? Any of it? By now, everyone knows the story of Ono. You know, he's the former University of Michigan president who: Used to be an avid supporter of DEI as UM's leader. Cynically changed his views on diversity, equity and inclusion at UM to appease the divisive and obsessive anti-DEI movement, led by its high priest of toxic propaganda, New College of Florida Board Trustee Christopher Rufo. Abruptly resigned from UM to pursue the presidency at UF, whose trustees rubber-stamped him as the sole candidate for the job. Panicked when the 'woke-woke-woke-woke-woke' myna birds – led by Rufo (naturally) and Florida Congressman Byron Donalds (a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate) began swarming and pecking him over his past support for DEI. Opinion: Don't let politics rule UF president decision. Just look at New College. Wrote a widely distributed – and utterly servile – guest column in which he insisted that there couldn't possibly be a single person on Earth who despised DEI as deeply and as passionately as he did. Saw the University of Florida presidency snatched from his grasping hands when the Florida Board of Governors rejected UF's recommendation to give him the job. Now what's the one common thread regarding Ono in pretty much all of the above items? Sarasota Voices: A Conversation with the Opinion Page Editor It's the thread of one man appearing far too willing to treat both principles and dignity as expendable attributes, and he didn't even sacrifice them for a cause – sheer professional opportunism – that's particularly noble. And when you think about it, could there possibly be anything more nauseating than that? Um, actually, let me take that back – there is one thing that comes to mind. Opinion Editor Roger Brown can be reached at Follow him on X (Twitter) @RBrown_HTOpin. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: No UF president job for Ono, who bowed to anti-DEI fanatics | Opinion
