Convicted murderer Molly Martens Corbett had her hair cut and dyed against her will and was denied basic hygiene essentials during her first nine days in prison, her brother has claimed.
Martens Corbett is currently serving a jail sentence of up to 25 years in the North Carolina Correctional Facility after she was found guilty, alongside her father Tom Martens, of the second degree murder of Limerick man Jason Corbett at the couple's home in August 2015.
In a Facebook post, her brother Connor Martens accused correctional staff of stripping Martens Corbett of her dignity since she was transferred to the facility on August 9th.
The post read: “Upon entering prison on August 9, she was not given shower shoes or a tooth brush for the first 9 days. This prevented her from showering and obviously brushing her teeth.
It continued: “There is no air conditioning. Over 15 people have passed out in her short time there. There are no activities. On rare occasions, she gets to go outside only to be reprimanded for walking too fast in her attempt to get exercise.
“Her hair has been dyed and cut against her will stripping her of any external dignity she may have had left.”
Friends and family have started a fundraising effort to raise $300,000 for an appeal on behalf of the convicted father and daughter. Nearly $19,000 in donations have being pledged.
Defence lawyers for the convicted duo have already filed for an appeal on the basis of juror misconduct.
Connor Martens went on to say the appeal “is about every American and their right to a fair trial”.
He accused the 12-person jury in the Davidson County court case of making a “mockery” of the judicial system.
He outlined grounds for an appeal including allegations that members of the jury concocted their own theories on Mr Corbett’s death which were not grounded in evidence heard during the case, and that at least one juror misunderstood the burden of proof necessary for a murder conviction.
A separate post uploaded to the fundraising page on Monday showed demonstrators campaigning for the release of Tom Martens and Molly Martens Corbett in Washington DC.
“Today we took our campaign to the streets of Washington DC to spread the word about how Tom saved his daughter’s life and how the State of NC convicted them both for 2nd degree murder. Our fellow Americans were outraged,” it read.
It carried a photo of a poster asking for volunteers to help raise awareness of and resources for the Martens’ case, and declaring that “self defense is not a crime”.
The page was created by Mona Earnest, an aunt of Molly Martens Corbett, following the trial in North Carolina, but soon fell foul of community standards enforced by hosting platform GoGetFunding which deleted uncorroborated claims that the murder was in response to a history of domestic violence.
Members of the Corbett family have denounced the fundraising page for “condoning cold calculating murder”, but supportive persons have left notes saying “praying for justice to be served” and “stay strong. We believe in you both”.