Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s true-crime documentary, ‘A Deadly American Marriage,’ investigates the case of Jason Corbett’s murder at the hands of his wife, Molly, and his father-in-law, Tom Martens. It presents the entire story from the perspectives of Jason’s family and the Martens, beginning with the start of a heartwarming romance between Jason and Molly to his brutal and tragic death. Over the course of the documentary, we hear accounts of the people closest to Jason, including his children, Jack and Sarah, and slowly, a very fractured image of his and Molly’s marriage comes to light in an attempt to explain her and her father’s actions.
Children and Money Emerged as Major Factors in the Claims Against Molly Martens
With Molly and Tom Martens confessing to killing Jason over the 911 call, a major point of investigation was why they did so. A look into Molly’s past revealed that she was prone to lying about her relationship with Jason and the kids, and had been very keen on adopting the kids as soon as possible. Apart from the children, the money that Molly spent in the aftermath of her husband’s death also raised pertinent questions. Reportedly, days after his death, she drew out almost $30,000 from Jason’s bank account, which he used to meet the family’s daily expenses. In her book, ‘My Brother Jason,’ Jason’s sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, claimed that Molly had tried to clear out the family’s house at Panther Creek Court in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and tried to have the furniture and other stuff shipped to her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.
However, when the cops became aware of this, they stopped her, and the stuff was moved into a storage unit until the conclusion of the trial. In 2018, Molly was reported to have received €147,000 (upwards of $160,000) in the sale of the house. It was also claimed that Molly had taken out about €5,000 (more than $5000) from her and Jason’s joint account to have the house cleaned up about 48 hours after Jason’s murder. It also came to light that she had been made the sole beneficiary of Jason’s insurance policy of €500,000 (more than $550,000) a short while before the day of his death, after removing his kids from the list. However, the insurance company reportedly refused to pay the sum to her on the grounds that she was the reason behind his death.
From the beginning, Molly and Tom Martens claimed they hadn’t intended to kill Jason Corbett and attacked him with a baseball bat and a brick paver in self-defence. The duo was charged with second-degree murder, found guilty, and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. They appealed the verdict, which led the court to agree on a retrial. This time, they decided to make a plea bargain. Molly pleaded no contest, and Tom pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. In return, the second-degree murder charges against them were dropped. A court statement noted that Molly was a “person of good character” who had acted under “strong provocation.” The judge mandated a psychiatric and psychological evaluation for her in prison, and for proper mental support to be provided to her according to her needs.
Molly and Tom Martens Are Leading a Life of Privacy Today
Following the sentencing, Molly Martens was sent to North Carolina Correctional Institution outside Raleigh, North Carolina, while Tom Martens went to the Caldwell Correctional Centre in Lenoir, North Carolina. They had received a sentence of four years and three months, which would include the time they had already served. Considering all that, their time in prison was reduced to 7 to 30 months. A few weeks after the sentencing, there was a mix-up by the prison officials, which led them to almost release Molly and Tom in December of 2023.
The mistake was cleared up soon enough, and another careful calculation led to their release on June 6, 2024, with one year’s probation supervision. This means that they are subject to regular visits and checks from probation officers. They are regularly and randomly screened and checked for drugs, are not allowed to own weapons, and have to keep the authorities updated about any new information regarding their place of residence. The state of North Carolina has reciprocal probation monitoring arrangements with other states, which means that Molly and Tom are not required to stay in North Carolina during probation.
They can move to a different state, but have to follow all the conditions of their probation. While both of them can move to the same state, they cannot live in the same house, at least not until their probation period ends. The freedom of movement allowed Molly and Tom to go back to Knoxville, Tennessee, which has been the family’s home for decades. Reportedly, 41-year-old Molly was initially supposed to move in with one of her brothers in North Carolina. However, she did not want to be in proximity to the place where her husband died, so she decided to move to Tennessee instead. Since her 74-year-old father moved back into their family home, she could not reside at the same address.
To stay close to her parents, she rented a place near them. However, with the 1-year probation coming to an end in June 2025, she will be allowed to move in with her parents and live in her childhood home again. Over the years, Molly has expressed regret over how the events of August 2, 2015, turned out. In the Netflix documentary, she wondered if things would be different had she not screamed out for help. She has also expressed grief over being separated from Jack and Sarah, whom she still considers her children. Tom, on the other hand, has no regrets as he believes he did the right thing, alleging that all he wanted was to save his daughter from getting killed. Since their release, the father and daughter have kept to themselves, refraining from making any public appearances or attracting attention towards themselves. They prefer to enjoy their freedom in privacy.
Read More: Sarah and Jack Corbett: Where Are Jason Corbett’s Kids Now?
