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Molly Martens and her father, Thomas Martens, were let out of prison in June 2024 after serving more than four years for murdering Jason Corbett. Their early release was the consequence of a plea bargain that downgraded their convictions from second-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter, time served, and good conduct behind bars.
The true crime documentary A Deadly American Marriage, which explores the case of Molly Martens and the killing of Jason Corbett, will air exclusively on Netflix. According to multiple sources, the film premiered globally on Netflix on May 9, 2025.
The murder of Jason Corbett and the early convictions
As per People magazine, Jason Corbett, an Irish entrepreneur residing in North Carolina, was murdered in his residence on August 2, 2015. His wife, Molly Martens, and her dad, Tom Martens, a retired FBI agent, both confessed to hitting Corbett during the violent fight.
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Tom Martens said he acted after seeing Corbett choking Molly and striking her with a baseball bat in an attempt to protect his daughter. Molly Martens also confessed to hitting Corbett with a brick. Both said they were acting in self-defense, reporting that Corbett was abusive and violent, something denied by Corbett's family and challenged by prosecutors.
In 2017, a jury found Molly and Tom Martens guilty of second-degree murder. Both received sentences of 20 to 25 years in prison. The prosecution claimed that the evidence against them and the fact that there were no defensive wounds on the Martenses were counter to their arguments of self-defense.
As per People magazine, the autopsy of Corbett showed he had at least received a dozen blows to the head, and prosecutors opined that the attack was excessive and intentional.
Appeals, retrial, and plea bargain
As per People magazine, following their convictions, Molly and Tom Martens appealed on the basis that the trial court inappropriately excluded the children of Corbett, Jack, and Sarah from testifying. The children had originally reported that their father was abusive to Molly, but then later recanted, saying Molly had coached them.
The appeals court concurred, and in 2021, the convictions were reversed, and the couple was awarded a new trial. Instead of going to trial a second time, the defendants both accepted a plea in October 2023. Molly entered a plea of no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and Tom pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
As per People magazine, the plea bargain resulted in greatly shorter sentences of 51 to 74 months (approximately 4 to 6 years) with credit for the 44 months they had previously served. With further reductions for good conduct, they had only around seven more months to serve, resulting in their release in June 2024.
Molly Martens' release, parole, and public reaction
According to Forbes, Molly Martens was discharged from the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, and Tom Martens from Caldwell Correctional Center, both on June 6, 2024. They are currently on post-release supervision in Tennessee, which will terminate in June 2025.
Their parole conditions include not residing together, but they can visit one another and move around within the United States with notice to authorities. The release has been met with anger by Jason Corbett's family, who insist that the murder was brutal and unwarranted.
According to Cosmopolitan, in their media statement, Corbett's family called the crime "senseless and brutal," pointing out the effect on his two children, who became orphans due to the incident. The case remains contentious, particularly after the release of the Netflix documentary, which offers contrasting views by both the Martens family and Corbett's family.
For more details, watch A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix.
