The Tragic True Story Behind ‘A Deadly American Marriage’—What Happened To Jason Corbett?

The mysterious death of Jason Corbett, an Irish businessman killed by his wife and father-in-law in August 2015, is the subject of Netflix’s new documentary, A Deadly American Marriage. At the center of the film is the chilling question: Were Molly and Thomas Martens defending themselves from danger, or was Jason Corbett the true victim all along?

Now streaming on Netflix, the documentary presents both sides of the complex case that left Corbett’s two children, Jack and Sarah, caught in the crossfire. After losing their biological parents – and Molly, another mother figure – the siblings were left to process the trauma of that night and the interviews they gave as children, which they later admitted were lies to protect Molly.

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As you dive into the case, read on for everything to know about Jason and Molly’s story, including what allegedly happened the night Corbett was brutally killed, and why Molly and her father are now out of prison and walking free.

How Did Jason Corbett And Molly Martens Meet?

Corbett was born and raised in Ireland. He lived in Limerick, a picturesque city on the country’s west coast, with his wife, Margaret “Mags” Fitzpatrick, and their two children, Jack and Sarah. Tragically, in 2006, Margaret passed away from an asthma attack, leaving the 30-year-old a grieving single parent to raise his kids on his own.

Looking for help, he posted a job profile on an au pair agency website and eventually hired 24-year-old Molly Martens, an American from Knoxville, Tenn. She moved to Limerick in 2008 as a nanny for Corbett’s children, who were three and one year old at the time.

Jason and Molly fell in love and got engaged. “He was charming, funny. He made me feel really special,” Molly recalled in the documentary. ”I felt like I was bringing joy back into Jack, Sarah and Jason’s life.” Corbett relocated his job to the United States, and they moved from Ireland to Meadowlands, North Carolina, to get married and start their new life together.

What Happened The Night Jason Corbett Died?

After years of legal battles, including an appeal and a new trial, what happened on August 2, 2015, is still shrouded in mystery. What is known is that an altercation between Jason, Molly, and her father, Thomas, ended in Jason’s violent death.

Molly’s parents, Tom, a former FBI agent, and Sharon, were in town and staying at their daughter’s and son-in-law’s home in North Carolina that night. When they were awoken by a ruckus and banging upstairs, Sharon said in a statement that her husband went upstairs to investigate, while she went back to sleep.

Tom said he grabbed an aluminum baseball bat he brought as a gift for the kids and ran to her room. 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 then, eventually, Jason pushed him to the ground, and he thought his son-in-law could kill him. Molly added, “He tried to hit my dad, I think, but he might have missed. And I, um, I hit him on the head.”

Molly stated 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 responded, “Um, the kids and I — we were going to paint — paint these bricks and flowers around the mailbox.”

Investigators said the father and daughter used an aluminum baseball bat and brick paver to kill Corbett, fracturing his skull and injuring his arm, legs, and torso, according to 10News. 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.

What Did Jason Corbett’s Autopsy Reveal?

Corbett’s autopsy revealed abrasions on his forehead, under his eye, and on his shoulder blades. But perhaps the most shocking part of the autopsy report was the “horrific” injuries to his head.

“He had so many blows to his head that the pathologist couldn’t count them because they overlapped and a chunk of Jason’s skull fell out onto the table,” Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin said in the doc. “It takes an incredible amount of force to cause that kind of injury.”

Interestingly, Molly and Thomas didn’t appear to have any injuries that would point to a violent struggle between them. While the defense claimed the two acted in self-defense because they feared for their lives, the prosecution were convinced that Corbett was murdered.

Did Molly Tell Jack And Sarah To Lie To Investigators?

Within 48 hours of Corbett’s death, the Martens had filed for guardianship, adoption, and custody of Jack and Sarah. In the documentary, Jason’s sister, Tracy Lynch, recalled how she wanted to do a supervised visit after her brother’s death to see the kids, but Molly allegedly “wouldn’t allow it.”

Sarah said in the documentary that after their father’s death, Molly told them that David and Tracy were trying to take them away and that she was “winning” in court.

Molly said she tried to present evidence that she was their mother, but that didn’t work. In August 2015, the court ruled that the children would be returning to their home country of Ireland.

Jack recalled the day the police came to take him and Sarah Molly, which was a deeply traumatic experience for them as kids. After they returned to Ireland, Molly used social media to send them messages, which their guardian David Lynch called a “constant barrage” while Jack and Sarah tried to heal.

A breakthrough for the prosecution came as they were preparing for trial. They arranged a live video conference with Jack in Ireland, during which he revealed that Molly had made him lie in his police interview after his father’s death. Sarah also stated that she had lied and only repeated what Molly told her to say.

“I never saw my dad ever lay hands on Molly, not once in my life,” Jack said.

What Happened At Molly And Thomas Martens’ Trial?

In January 2016, Molly and Tom Martens were both charged with second-degree murder. The prosecution argued that when Corbett tried to leave Molly and take Jack and Sarah back to Ireland, Molly became upset because she didn’t want to lose the children. Another alleged point of contention was his will, where he named his sister and her husband, not Molly, as the children’s legal guardians, Time.com reported.

Shortly after, the defense filed a motion to have the verdict thrown out based on jury misconduct. Although the trial judge denied the motion, one year later, the defense went to the appellate court and argued that there were numerous errors made during the trial, including “potential jury misconduct, untested blood stains on Tom’s boxer shorts, and what they considered to be potentially exculpatory testimony from the children that was not allowed in the trial,” according to Time.com.

In March 2021, the North Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Molly and Tom Martens. Molly’s lawyers continued to argue that Corbett abused her and may have even killed his first wife. Meanwhile, the defense used testimony from Jack and Sarah Corbett, who claimed that Molly had told them to lie to the police and that their father was not a violent person.

“I only got betrayed,” Sarah said in her testimony, according to The Associated Press. . “I lied to help the Martens escape full justice for taking my father’s life.”

In his statement, Jack admitted that he lied to investigators at Molly’s direction. “I have lost so much of myself since the day he (Jason Corbett) was taken,” Jack said. “My words were weaponized to help Molly and Thomas Martens get away with killing my dad.”

In October 2023, Molly had pleaded no contest, and her father pleaded guilty. The Martens were sentenced to spend between 51 and 74 months in prison. Because they already served 44 months after the original trial and had good behavior, they only spent seven more months behind bars after their retrial, according to AP.

Molly and Thomas were released from prison in June 2024.

A Deadly American Marriage is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.