Netflix’s new true-crime documentary A Deadly American Marriage revisits the violent killing of Jason Corbett, an Irish father of two who was brutally beaten to death by his wife, Molly Martens, and her father, Thomas Martens.
The documentary, now streaming on Netflix, offers a first-hand look at both sides of the complex case that has sparked debate across true crime podcasts, books, and 20/20 and 48 hour episodes. Did Molly and her former FBI agent father kill Jason out of fear for their lives – or was Jason the innocent victim of a calculated attack?
Directors Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell approached both families when creating the documentary. “For the film to remain objective and balanced, we never discussed information we learned with either side,” they told Netflix’s Tudum.
Speaking about the father and daughter, the directors added, “Molly and Tom’s time in prison was devastating for them and all who loved and supported them.” They also said that Molly and Tom “don’t believe they should have ever been convicted, let alone received a custodial sentence.”
Where is Molly Martens now, and is she out of prison? Here’s everything to know about her life today and her account of what happened the night her husband died.
Who Is Molly Martens?
Molly Martens is an American woman from Knoxville, Tennessee, who worked as an au pair for Irish businessman Jason Corbett in Limerick, Ireland. She responded to an ad he posted on an au pair website in 2008, shortly after the death of his first wife, Margaret “Mags” Fitzpatrick.
Martens, who was 24 at the time, recalled in A Deadly American Marriage that she had recently suffered a miscarriage and had always loved children. She accepted the job and moved to Ireland to care for Corbett’s two young children, Jack and Sarah, who were three and one at the time.
Eventually, Jason and Molly’s relationship turned more romantic. “He was charming, funny. He made me feel really special,” Molly said in the film. ”I felt like I was bringing joy back into Jack, Sarah and Jason’s life.”
Corbett was able to relocate his job to the U.S., and the couple moved from Limerick to the small community of Meadowlands, North Carolina. They tied the knot in 2011, surrounded by family and friends. However, according to the documentary, Molly allegedly told conflicting stories to her loved ones about the nature of her relationship with Jason and the kids.
For example, Molly’s maid of honor recalled that Molly had fabricated a story about traveling to Limerick to be a godmother, claiming she had been childhood friends with their late mother. In another instance, she reportedly told people in town that she had given birth to Sarah. A former college roommate also remembered Molly saying she was raising her late sister’s children after the sister died of cancer. According to the documentary, investigators used these bizarre stories and lies to deem Molly as an unreliable source the night Jason died.
When Did Molly and Jason Corbett’s Marriage Start To Fall Apart?
From the outside, the couple appeared to be living a fairytale life in North Carolina. But emails and Facebook messages between Jason, Molly, and his loved ones revealed trouble brewing underneath the surface.
Jason’s sister, Tracy Lynch, recalled in the documentary that, before his death, Jason had spoken to her about moving back to Ireland because his marriage was no longer in a good place.
At the same time, Molly was very eager to adopt the children. While Jason appeared to be open to the idea, in emails to attorneys shown in the documentary, Jason wanted to ensure he would retain full custody in the event of a divorce. Ultimately, it was his sister and her husband, not Molly, who were named the children’s legal guardians, Time.com reported.
“I wanted to adopt them because they were my children,” Molly said in the documentary, adding that she and Jason had discussed including an adoption ceremony as part of their wedding. “There was a lot of promises that were broken, but that was a big one.”
Meanwhile, Molly and the defense pointed to what they described as ongoing abusive and violent behavior by Corbett that had escalated over the course of their marriage. (Jason’s children later testified that they never saw their father lay a hand on Molly. They also claimed that Molly had instructed them to lie to investigators after their father’s death.)
Did Molly Martens And Her Father, Thomas Martens, Kill Jason Corbett?
On the night of August 2, 2015, Molly’s father Thomas, a former FBI agent, and her mother Sharon, were staying at their house in North Carolina. Thomas told investigators that he was awoken by a ruckus upstairs. He grabbed an aluminum baseball bat he brought as a gift for the kids and ran to his daughter’s side.
When Jason allegedly saw Tom coming, he grabbed his wife’s throat and said he was going to “kill” Molly, according to police interviews obtained by CBS. Tom told police that he hit Jason with a baseball bat, but Jason pushed him to the ground, and he thought his son-in-law could kill him.
Molly said that she also hit Jason with a paving stone that was sitting on her nightstand. When asked by police why she had a paving stone on her nightstand, she answered, “Um, the kids and I — we were going to paint — paint these bricks and flowers around the mailbox.”
Tom dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that his son-in-law needed help. “He’s bleeding all over, and I, I may have killed him,” he said in the call played in the documentary. They then appeared to perform CPR as paramedics made their way to the bloody crime scene.
Corbett’s autopsy report revealed abrasions on his forehead, under his eye, and on his shoulder blades. He also had “horrific” injuries to his head. Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin said in the doc that he had so many blows to his head, “the pathologist couldn’t count them because they overlapped and a chunk of Jason’s skull fell out onto the table.”
Meanwhile, Molly and Thomas didn’t appear to have any bodily injuries that would point to a violent struggle between them.
How Much Time Did Molly and Thomas Martens Serve In Prison?
At their first trial in 2017, the defense argued that Molly and Thomas Martens acted in self-defense, claiming they feared for their lives. Meanwhile, the prosecution contended that Corbett was murdered because Molly was upset he planned to leave her and take the children. Both were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison.
However, four years later, their convictions were overturned in 2021 following an appeal and the granting of a retrial. Molly and Thomas ultimately accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the murder charges being dropped.
They were sentenced to serve between 51 and 74 months in prison. Having already served 44 months following their original convictions, they were released in June 2024 after serving just seven additional months.
“After a nine-year battle for justice, we are deeply disappointed by the impending release of Tom and Molly Martens, the individuals responsible for the senseless and brutal murder of Jason, leaving his two children orphaned,” Jason’s family said in a statement.
Where Is Molly Martens Now?
Molly Martens and her father Tom were released from prison in June 2024 and are currently out on parole. She was interviewed for Netflix’s documentary Deadly American Marriage, where she shares her version of what happened before, during, and after her husband’s tragic killing on August 2, 2015.
After she was released from custody in June 2024, The Times reported that she was expected to move in with one of her brothers in North Carolina for her 12-month parole period – far from the family home where Corbett was killed.
As of May 9, 2025, she is likely nearing the end of her parole, which is set to expire next month. She and her father, who moved back to Knoxville, must remain drug-free throughout their parole and are subject to random drug screenings.
“I can state that both will serve their 12 months of post-release supervision in Tennessee under an interstate compact, which is a fairly common circumstance. They will be subject to North Carolina conditions, but Tennessee department of corrections will supervise,” Brad Deen, communications officer at the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, said, according to the newspaper.
Molly is not allowed to contact Jack or Sarah Corbett, which could constitute a breach of their parole. In the doc, Molly reflected on whether she still views herself as the children’s mother.
“I think that they hate the person that they think that I am, and they think of me as an evil abuser and they think their father was wonderful. I certainly am not their mother now […] [But] I was the mother of the Jack and Sarah that existed in another lifetime,” she said.
Molly maintains that she never committed a crime and that her husband was killed in self-defense. “I had one moment in this altercation where I protected my father, and if I hadn’t done that, I believe that he would be dead, and then I would also have been killed,” she said.
A Deadly American Marriage is now streaming. Watch the official trailer below.
