THE aunt of Molly Martens has pleaded with Barack Obama to help free the father and daughter who were convicted of killing Irish dad Jason Corbett.
Mona Earnest, who has launched a fundraising campaign 'Right the Wrong, Help Molly and Tom', tweeted the former US President for assistance in freeing the pair.
The father and daughter were jailed for a collective 40 years after being found guilty of the second degree murder of Irish father-of -two Jason Corbett in August 2015.
Mr Corbett, 39 and originally from Limerick, was found bludgeoned in his bedroom in the home he shared with wife Molly Martens.
During his murder trial, the court heard how Mr Corbett's skull 'fell away' during the autopsy, after he had been beaten with a baseball bat and paving slab.
The court also heard how Mr Corbett had planned to leave the US and return to Ireland with his children, leaving Ms Martens behind.
Tweeting Mr Obama, Ms Earnest said: "North Carolina verdict jailing father and daughter will destroy foundation of our jury system if allowed to stand.
"Self defense [sic] is not a crime in our country - please help to right this terrible injustice," she said.
Molly Marten's aunt Mona Everest's tweets to Barack Obama. (Picture: Twitter)The tweet has received backlash online, with many criticising Ms Earnest's use of 'self defence' in describing the Irishman's murder.
It wasn't self defense. It was brutal barbaric murder causing horrible death to innocent man who tried to save his children from Martens.
— KatyCourt (@nyckatyc) August 21, 2017
It wasn't self defence though. Blood splatter shows he was asleep when he was first hit & they continued to beat him until after he died.
— Alicia M (@aliciajones91) August 17, 2017
Self defence.....hysterically funny if the reality of the brutal way the life was beaten from this man wasn't so stomach churning and sad.
— Maggie Creighton McClure 🐾☘🍷🎨🎶📖 (@Margaretcre) August 18, 2017
There is no evidence of self defense. Forensics refutes that. Scene staged. Suggest Mr. Obama continues his focus on real injustices.
— Stephen Corr (@looseheadsteve) August 17, 2017
Last week, solicitors for Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens filed papers at Davidson County Court requesting that the pair's verdict be thrown out over juror misconduct.
“Post-trial, voluntary press interviews and social media posts of certain jurors portray juror misconduct throughout the proceeding that directly violates the Court’s repeated jury admonitions, North Carolina law and the Constitutional protections afforded these and all defendants in a criminal trial,” they said according to local media the Winston-Salem Journal.
The attorneys also said a judge should schedule an evidentiary hearing, set aside the jury’s verdict and grant Thomas Martens and Molly Corbett a new trial.
A hearing on the motion has not been set.
