5 chilling details about Jason Corbett’s murder
In August 2015, 39-year-old Irish businessman Jason Corbett was killed in the bedroom of his North Carolina home, an act his wife, Molly Martens, and her father, Thomas Martens, a former FBI agent, initially described as self-defense. The pair claimed Jason was choking Molly, prompting them to use a brick and a metal baseball bat during the altercation.
However, forensic evidence, family testimony, and autopsy reports led to second-degree murder convictions in 2017, which were later overturned by the court. Both ultimately pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2023 and were released in June 2024 after serving a reduced sentence.
Jason Corbett’s children, who were in the home during the incident, now reside in Ireland and contest previous statements that they allege were influenced by Molly. The case, which drew widespread media attention similar to that of Johnia Berry, is the subject of the new true crime documentary Deadly American Marriage on Netflix, premiering May 9 at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
5 key details about Jason Corbett’s murder explored
1) Molly and Tom Martens said they acted in self-defense during the deadly confrontation
On August 2, 2015, a violent assault in his North Carolina home resulted in the death of Jason Corbett. His wife, Molly Martens Corbett, and her father, former FBI agent Thomas Martens, admitted to the killing but argued it was in self-defense. As per 48 Hours, CBS News report dated April 24, 2025, Thomas Martens told a 911 dispatcher,
“He's bleeding all over and I - I may have killed him.”
Further adding,
"He's covered in blood"
The pair stated they intervened because Jason was allegedly choking Molly during an argument. However, the prosecution disputed their version of events, citing the extent of Jason’s head trauma as inconsistent with a defensive act.
2) Jason Corbett’s children became central to the case’s custody and motive debates
At the time of Jason Corbett’s death, his two children from a previous marriage, Jack and Sarah, were 10 and 8 years old. Custody disputes over the children emerged shortly after his death. Molly Martens had never adopted them, despite expressing strong interest. Jason’s 2007 will named his sister, Tracey Lynch, as their legal guardian.
According to an Irish Independent report dated August 20, 2015, Molly filed for custody days after the murder, but the court granted custody to Tracey, and the children were repatriated to Ireland. This custody issue was later identified by prosecutors as a potential motive for the killing.
3) Convictions, appeals, and reduced sentences reshaped the legal outcome
Initially convicted of second-degree murder in 2017, Molly and Thomas Martens received 20 to 25 year prison sentences. In March 2021, North Carolina’s top court ruled that key evidence had been wrongly excluded from the trial.
The ruling ordered a retrial, according to an Associated Press report dated June 7, 2024. In October 2023, both defendants entered plea deals, with Molly pleading no contest and Thomas pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
They were resentenced in November 2023 to 51–74 months, but served only seven more months due to time already served. They were released in June 2024 under supervised probation.
4) Jason Corbett’s children delivered emotional statements during resentencing
During the 2023 resentencing hearing, now-adult Jack and Sarah Corbett addressed the court directly. As reported by the Irish Independent on November 9, 2023, Jack told the court:
“I was used by her. All I have ever been is a piece on her chess board. She taught me how to shoplift, how to vomit, how to be the most convincing liar.”
Sarah said that Molly removed her wedding ring within days of the killing and told her to “get over it.” The children, who once provided statements suggesting abuse, later claimed Molly coached them to make false allegations. The defense had previously attempted to use these statements during the trial, but they were ultimately excluded.
5) Forensic contradictions challenged the self-defense claim
Multiple pieces of forensic evidence called the self-defense narrative into question. Dr. Craig Nelson, who performed the autopsy, testified that Jason Corbett’s skull was so severely shattered that the number of blows could not be precisely counted, though he estimated at least 12.
According to an Irish Times report dated July 25, 2017, Jason’s body showed trauma not only to the head but also to the torso and limbs. Blood spatter analysis presented in court suggested he may have been struck while lying in bed and again while already on the floor.
The prosecution indicated that neither Molly nor Thomas exhibited any visible injuries consistent with a violent struggle, undermining their assertion of acting in fear for their lives.
Stay tuned for more updates.
