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Following the murder of her husband, Jason Corbett, in 2015, Molly Martens found herself at the center of a court battle that not only concerned her but also the involvement of Jason's two children, Jack and Sarah. In the early stages following Jason's murder, Molly and her father, Tom Martens, asserted self-defense and accused Jason of being abusive.
Central to their defense were assertions made by Jack and Sarah, then aged 10 and 8, respectively, that they had seen their father be violent to Molly. However, the children withdrew these assertions, stating that Molly had tutored them on what to say.
The use and later withdrawal of these statements became a central point in the legal case, influencing both the original trial and the appeals. A Deadly American Marriage, on Netflix, explores the case of Molly Martens and Jason Corbett. It premiered globally on Netflix on May 9, 2025.
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The statements of Molly Martens' children and their role in the defense
As per People Magazine, following Jason Corbett's murder, Jack and Sarah were interviewed by a social worker only days after the event. During these interviews, they reported seeing their father physically abuse Molly Martens. These allegations added fuel to Molly and Tom Martens' claim of self-defense, giving their legal defense a vital component.
The children's testimony was employed to support the charge that Jason was violent, and if this were true, it would support the actions of Molly and her father on the evening Jason died. As per People Magazine, the credibility of the statements was, however, challenged. Nine months after the initial interviews, Jack and Sarah retracted, claiming that they had been coached by Molly on what to say.
The kids subsequently claimed that Molly threatened to never let them see her again if they disagreed with her account of what happened. The recantation tainted the initial accounts and made people suspect manipulation and the well-being of the children during the investigation.
Exclusion and reintroduction of the children's statements in court
As per People Magazine, during the 2017 trial, the judge did not allow the children's original statements to be used as evidence, calling them unreliable hearsay. This ruling was vital since it took away a central component of the Martens' defense for the trial.
The prosecution and Jason Corbett's family contended that Molly Martens had knowingly coached the children to insulate her and her father against legal repercussions. According to reports, the exclusion of the statements was at the heart of the issue in the appeals process.
In 2020, the appellate courts in North Carolina declared that the exclusion of the interviews with the children was prejudicial and denied Molly and Tom Martens a fair defense. This was later confirmed by the state Supreme Court on the basis that the children's statements were relevant and material to the case, which led to an order for a new trial.
The effect on Molly Martens' children and the ultimate legal decisions
The long legal process and utilization of Jack and Sarah's statements had a lasting effect on the children. Both siblings subsequently testified against Molly Martens, telling the court that she had manipulated and abused them. As per People Magazine, Jack specifically accused Molly of being a "monster" who used his previous testimony to avoid being punished for their father's murder.
According to reports, Sarah spoke of years of therapy required to deal with the trauma of having her words distorted and presented in court. Before Molly and Tom Martens could be retried, they took plea deals in 2023, admitting to voluntary manslaughter rather than standing trial on second-degree murder charges.
As per People Magazine, the plea was facilitated, at least in part, by the legal niceties involved in what the children said and how that might be received as evidence in court. Both Molly and her father were freed from prison in June 2024 after they had served their sentences for manslaughter.
Watch the true crime documentary A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix for more details.
