The story of Molly Martens and Jason Corbett—an American au pair who fell in love with an Irish widower with two children—seemed like something out of a romance novel. But within a few years, their blissful union turned deadly.
Jason was beaten to death in August 2015, suddenly placing Molly and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, at the center of a murder investigation. Their second-degree murder convictions in the case were later overturned.
The new Netflix documentary A Deadly American Marriage examines the deteriorating relationship of Molly and Jason, his shocking death, and the lingering aftermath. Released on Friday, the project features new interviews with Molly, Thomas, as well as Jason’s kids and other family members.
Molly, now 41, and Thomas, 75, maintain they killed in self-defense following a pattern of abusive behavior and deadly threats, while others close to Corbett believe his life was ruthlessly cut short at age 39. But as the documentary shows, the true story is much more complex.
Jason hired Molly as a nanny before they fell in love
Coincidentally, it was another tragedy that brought Jason and Molly together. In 2006, Jason’s wife Margaret “Mags” Fitzpatrick died of an acute cardio-respiratory attack. Jason was left to care for their two children, Jack and Sarah. In March 2008, the then 32-year-old widower hired 24-year-old Molly as a live-in nanny at his home in Limerick, Ireland.
The job offered a fresh start for Molly, who grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and battled feelings of inadequacy after dropping out of college at Clemson University. She told Elle she “felt whole again” and found purpose in caring for 3-year-old Jack and 1-year-old Sarah. And it wasn’t long before Molly and Jason began a romantic relationship.
“I really hope that you are as happy as I am to have met and fallen (jumped) in love with you,” Jason wrote in an email soon after Molly’s arrival.
Molly Martens and Jason Corbett were married in 2011.
The pair became engaged in February 2010 and married the following year. The family moved to North Carolina, where Molly cared for the kids and volunteered at their school. But while everything seemed idyllic, animosity was brewing underneath the surface.
Molly and her dad claimed Jason threatened her
On August 2, 2015, Molly’s father called a 911 dispatcher and said he had intervened in a fight between Molly and Jason at their home in the Meadowlands area of Davidson County, North Carolina.
“He’s bleeding all over, and I, I may have killed him,” said Thomas, who previously led a 30-year career as an FBI agent.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found Jason unresponsive and apparently beaten with a baseball bat and paving stone. He quickly died from his injuries.
Thomas and Molly told authorities that Jason’s death resulted from a domestic disturbance. Thomas testified he found Jason strangling Molly and refusing to let go while threatening to kill her, leading the father and daughter to respond in self-defense. In January 2016, a grand jury indicted both Molly and Thomas on charges of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
The ensuing investigation and court testimony hinted at the steady decay of Molly and Jason’s relationship. She claimed her husband was physically and verbally abusive, with incidents occurring “on a somewhat regular basis.” The pair also reportedly clashed over custody of Jack and Sarah, as Jason had made a will in 2007 designating his sister Tracey Corbett Lynch and her husband, David, as the children’s legal guardians in the case of his death.
Additionally, Jack and Sarah gave interviews to social workers detailing “Jason’s worsening anger management issues” and “Molly and Jason’s ongoing relationship struggles.” However, they later maintained they were coerced into making the statements by Molly.
In the end, a jury found Molly and Thomas guilty of second-degree murder in Jason’s death on August 9, 2017. They each received a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison.
Molly and Thomas were released from prison in 2024
While it appeared the case finally had a resolution, Molly and Thomas filed an appeal that led to a shocking twist. In February 2020, the North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned their convictions, 2-1, and granted the father and daughter a new trial. The ruling cited errors in evidence submitted and determined the jury “was denied critical evidence and rendered incapable of performing its constitutional function.”
As it turned out, no retrial was needed. Molly and Thomas reached a plea deal with prosecutors in October 2023 to drop the second-degree murder charges. They instead pleaded no contest and guilty, respectively, to voluntary manslaughter and received a new sentence of a minimum of 51 months in prison with credit for time served.
The following year, in June 2024, Molly and Thomas were released from their respective North Carolina prisons. Now, both offer their perspective of Jason’s killing and the case in A Deadly American Marriage.
Jason’s family continues to seek justice
Tracey Corbett-Lynch and Sarah Corbett Lynch
Jason’s sister Tracey has asserted Molly and Thomas’ claims of abuse against her late brother are false and an attempt to “destroy his character.”
Following Molly’s and Thomas’ releases from prison, the Corbett family shared a statement vowing to continue the pursuit of justice. “While they may have completed the court-mandated sentence, they now carry the enduring burden of their actions—forever knowing they extinguished a noble life. We know the truth, they know the truth. Soon the world will know the entire truth,” it read in part.
Tracey and her husband are now legal guardians of Jack, 20, and Sarah, 18. This February, Sarah released a memoir titled A Time for Truth, which reflects on the case and the process of grieving her father.
“He always put Jack and me first. I know it sounds weird, but I always feel like my dad died for us,” she told VIP magazine. “If he had lived, our lives would have been extremely different. I wish he had lived, but his care for Jack and I shaped where I am today.”
Watch A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix
Jack, Sarah, Tracey, and David all appear in A Deadly American Marriage. In a statement shared on social media, Corbett’s family said their participation is meant to highlight “the profound impact of the absence of justice we faced” through the legal process.
“We hope the documentary honors Jason’s memory while advocating for justice and ensuring that the voices of victims are heard, especially when the judicial system has failed them,” the post read. “Jason would have wanted us to speak out on his behalf—he was a loving and engaged person who valued connection and was a responsible socially engaged citizen.”
Viewers can gather their own interpretations of the shocking crime and its lingering effects now that A Deadly American Marriage is streaming.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he’s not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
