A gripping Netflix documentary, A Deadly American Marriage explores the tragic death of Jason Corbett, an Irish man who at the time was living in North Carolina with his second wife, Molly Martens, and his two children, Jack and Sarah, in the summer of 2015.
Jason, a widower, had initially met Molly after she responded to his advertisement for an au pair in Ireland. After growing closer, the two married but later, on August 2, 2015, Jason was found dead after being brutally beaten at his home in North Carolina.
While the focus of the show is on Molly and Jason, there are other key figures: Jason's children Jack and Sarah, as well as Molly's parents Thomas and Sharon.
Who is Thomas Martens?
Thomas Martens is a former FBI agent (and trained interrogator) who is the father to Molly Martens and the husband to Sharon Martens.
Thomas, in particular, is of importance to the story told within A Deadly American Marriage. He alleged that he walked in on Molly being strangled by Jason and that Jason claimed he was going to kill her. Thomas then claimed that he acted in self-defense by hitting Jason with a baseball bat.
In the Netflix program, an officer described the scene as "one of the bloodiest" they'd ever seen, and the show alleges Jason was so badly beaten that the pathologist was unable to count the number of blows to his head.
What was Thomas Martens convicted of?
In 2017, both Molly and Tom Martens were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. Later, their convictions were overturned in 2021 following an appeal and a retrial was ordered.
In October 2023, Molly and Thomas reached a plea deal, with Molly pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter and Thomas pleading guilty to the same charge. Both were sentenced to time served and released in 2024.
Responding to the release, Jason's family issued a statement expressing how they felt let down by the justice system: "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."
Where is Thomas Martens now?
Thomas Martens was released from prison in 2024 and appears in A Deadly American Marriage.
As explained by the show's directors Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell in an interview in Tudum, Thomas is now readjusting to life after prison.
“Molly and Tom’s time in prison was devastating for them and all who loved and supported them,” they say.
“They don’t believe they should have ever been convicted, let alone received a custodial sentence.”
