THE SKULL of an Irish father of two 'fell away' during his autopsy, a court heard, after an alleged fatal beating by his wife and father-in-law.
Limerick native Jason Corbett, 39, was found dead at his home in Lexington, North Carolina on August 2, 2015.
His wife, Molly Martens Corbett, 33, and his father-in-law Thomas Michael Martens, a 67-year-old retired FBI agent, were charged with second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in January 2016.
Both father and daughter are currently on trial for the death of Irishman Mr Corbett at Davidson County Superior Court in Lexington, North Carolina.
While Mr Martens admitted striking Jason Corbett with an aluminium baseball bat, he says he was defending his daughter after finding his son-in-law attacking her.
They have both pleaded not guilty, claiming self defence and defence of another, however, authorities have said the Irishman was planning to leave Mrs Corbett – his second wife and former nanny to his children – and return to his home country of Ireland.
'Blood on the walls'
Speaking in court on Tuesday, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Mr Corbett said his skull fractures were similar to those 'suffered in a car crash or fall from a great height', according to local news, The Dispatch.
Molly Martens Corbett, and her father Thomas Michael Martens, are on trial for Irishman Jason Corbett's murder (Picture: RTÉ)Dr Craig Nelson, a licensed pathologist, said that Mr Corbett was struck at least 10 times, but he couldn’t say exactly how many times or how quickly.
Two spots on the Irishman's body showed evidence of repeated blows, and one scrape on Mr Corbett’s head occurred after his heart had stopped.
According to the autopsy report, Mr Corbett was beaten to death with a baseball bat and a landscaping stone.
Dr Nelson said that when he pulled back the scalp to perform the autopsy, pieces of Jason Corbett’s skull fell away.
He also identified fracturing of the nose, bruising on the thigh and hand and scraping on the back and neck.
All of these injuries were a result of blunt force trauma, according to Nelson.
Graphic photos of Mr Corbett’s head were shown while the pathologist explained the injuries, at which point one juror had to be briefly excused because an image made her ill.
The juror later returned to the court.
'His hand slipped into Jason's scalp'
The Corbetts' home in Lexington North Carolina (Picture: RTÉ)A paramedic who responded to the incident testified that when he first arrived, Mrs Corbett was performing CPR on her husband in the master bedroom.
Since the master bedroom was dimly lit, the paramedic said he requested Mr Corbett be placed on a board and taken to the ambulance.
While in the ambulance, the paramedic stated, several emergency responders worked on the victim.
The paramedic said the injuries were so severe that his hand slipped into Mr Corbett’s scalp as he tried to insert a breathing tube.
After it became apparent that life-sustaining measures weren’t working, the 39-year-old was declared dead.
Defense lawyers, Walter Holton and David Freedman questioned Dr Nelson’s examination.
During opening statements in the trial, Holton and Freedman claimed there was a photo of Mr Corbett clutching a strand of blonde hair in his hand and a photo of redness on Mrs Corbett’s neck.
Dr Nelson said that he did not notice any blond hairs during the autopsy.
He said Mr Corbett’s hands were not put into bags, and he was not asked to examine finger nail samples from Jason Corbett.
The doctor also stated that a large amount of blood was present in the body bag, which could possibly wash away an object.
The trial continues later today in North Carolina.
