The story of Molly Martens Corbett is one that has recently resurfaced due to a new Netflix show, A Deadly American Marriage; a film that recounts the tragic death of Jason Corbett, an Irish man living in North Carolina with his second wife, Molly, and two children, Jack and Sarah, in the summer of 2015.
Jason, a widower, had initially fallen for Molly when she came over to Ireland to work as an au pair for his two children, following the sad death of his first wife, Margaret.
Their whirlwind romance led to marriage, but behind the picture-perfect life, cracks began to show and on August 2, 2015, Jason was found brutally beaten to death at home in North Carolina (where the family had moved to).
Molly and her father, Thomas Martens, claimed they acted in self-defense, alleging Jason was attacking Molly. Their claims, however, didn’t hold up in court.
In 2017, Molly and her father were convicted of second-degree murder, sparking outrage and debate across two continents. Yet, the drama didn’t end there. In 2021, their convictions were overturned, and a retrial was ordered, reigniting the fierce public discourse around the case.
Now, all the key people involved in the tragic case—from Molly and Tom Martens, to Sarah and Jack Corbett—have shared their version of events in the Netflix program, with Jason's two children alleging Molly brainwashed them into lying about their father as she feared they'd be taken away from her, and Molly and Tom maintaining that Jason was abusive.
This is a recap of who Molly Martens is, what she was actually convicted of and where she is today.
Who is Molly Martens?
Sometimes known as Molly Martens Corbett or Molly Corbett, Molly is a former beauty queen and au pair who got a job working for Jason Corbett in Limerick, Ireland, after responding to an advertisement he placed online in 2008, after the death of his first wife, Margaret (known as Mags). Molly was 24 at the time, said she had recently suffered a miscarriage and that she had always loved children.
The pair quickly grew closer and formed a romantic relationship, with Molly taking on the role of mother to Jack and Sarah. They married in 2011 and four years later, on August 2, 2015, the emergency services received a call from Molly's father, Tom, confessing to having hit Jason with a baseball bat after seeing him attack Molly.
Upon arriving at the scene, police were met with a room covered in blood, with one officer later describing it in the Netflix episode as "one of the bloodiest crime scenes I've seen." A prosecutor involved, Alan Martin, also recalls how Jason's body had "so many blows to his head the pathologist couldn't count them [...] it takes incredible force", indicating the claim of self-defense, in his opinion, seems unlikely.
In A Deadly American Marriage, Molly explains she was eager to adopt the children and had hoped an adoption ceremony would form part of her wedding day, but that this ultimately didn't happen. Because, she alleges, Jason wanted to weaponize taking the children from her if she dared to leave due to his apparent abuse. In the film, and during prior court appearances, she claimed Jason was abusive and strangled her, which is why she secretly placed recording devices around their family home in the hopes of building a case against him, in which she would be granted custody of Jack and Sarah.
Both Jack and Sarah strongly dispute their dad was abusive, and others suggest given that Molly was the only one who knew about the recording devices, she could manipulate Jason in to arguments to capture on tape, falsely painting him in a negative light.
What was Molly 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. However, 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 Molly Martens now?
As shown in her recent Netflix appearance, Molly is no longer in prison and is keen for people to hear her version of events.
While little is said about her current whereabouts in the film, The Times reported in June 2024, shortly after her release from jail, that the then-40-year-old was expected to move in with one of her brothers in North Carolina while completing her 12-month parole period. The newspaper claims Molly wanted to be far away from the home in which Jason was killed.
When discussing Molly's probation, Brad Deen, communications officer at the North Carolina department of adult correction, said: "Both [Tom and Molly] 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."
The 12 months of her probation is due to end next month.
Molly is not allowed to make contact with Jack or Sarah due to a court order, and describes them as having "been used as tools of evil" and "weaponized against me".
When reflecting on whether or not she still views herself as Jack and Sarah's mother, Molly says, "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."
