Pathologist tells US court that Limerick man's first wife 'did not die of asthma attack' 

A RETIRED forensic pathologist has said that Jason Corbett’s first wife did not die of an asthma attack and that it is possible that Margaret 'Mags' Corbett’s death was a homicide.

The revelation was part of evidence introduced at the sentencing hearing of Molly Martens and her father Thomas on Thursday.

Ralph Riegel, reporting for the Irish Independent, said that former Kentucky chief medical examiner Dr George Nichols said that "in my opinion (the Irish pathologist) opinion is completely wrong."

In November 2006, Ms Corbett became ill and was driven by Mr Corbett towards an ambulance. She stopped breathing and was revived by the ambulance crew, but later passed away at University Hospital Limerick.

Her cause of death was listed as a cardio-respiratory attack with a bronco-spasm in a known asthmatic.

When it was put to Dr Nichols that the death could be a possible homicide he replied: "correct", but stressed that: "it is nowhere close to probable." 

A secret recording made by Molly Martens on Shrove Tuesday, February 2015, was played for the court on Thursday.

The recording featured an angry exchange between Molly Martens and Jason Corbett and his then 10-year-old daughter, Sarah screaming for them to stop fighting.

Evidence was also given by Sheila Tyler, a North Carolina investigative social worker, who interviewed Ms Martens 24 hours after her husband's death.

Ms Tyler said Ms Martens told her that he would force her to have sex and place his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out.

On Monday, Mr Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter of Mr Corbett while Ms Martens entered a “no contest” plea to the same charge.

Mr Corbett was beaten to death with a baseball bat and concrete paving slab in his home in 2015.