A new Netflix show, A Deadly American Marriage explores the killing of Jason Corbett, an Irish man living in North Carolina, in the summer of 2015.
Jason, a widower, had initially met his second wife Molly Martens when she moved to Ireland to work as an au pair for his two children. The two married but, on 2 August 2015, Jason was found dead after being brutally beaten at his home in North Carolina, where he had moved to.
While the focus of the show is on what happened between 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 Sharon Martens?
Sharon Martens is the mother to Molly Martens and her brothers, as well as the wife to Thomas Martens, a former FBI agent.
Sharon lived in Knoxville and was a maths teacher by profession.
Was Sharon Martens convicted of anything?
No, Sharon wasn't convicted of anything and it was only Molly and Thomas Martens who faced charges.
This is despite Sharon's claims that she slept through the alleged altercation which led to Jason's death, a version of events which the prosecution queried in court.
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.
Where is Sharon Martens now?
As per The Irish Times, rather than peacefully retiring from her career, Sharon spent numerous years visiting her husband and daughter in separated prisons while they were incarcerated and also faced cancer.
The process of Molly and Thomas fighting their conviction drained the Martens family finances and they sold a $600,000 holiday home.
Now, Molly and Thomas have been released and Sharon has been reunited with them.
