Summary
Netflix’s new true-crime documentary,A Deadly American Marriage, tells the story of the murder of Jason Corbett, and the subsequent trial of his wife, Molly Martens, and her father, Thomas.The one-off documentary film landed on Netflix on May 9, and has been a hit with viewers.
A Deadly American Marriagefeatures exclusive interviews with Molly, Thomas, Jason’s children, Jack and Sarah, and other family members.The documentary does a good job of presenting a balanced view of the case, with a close look at both sides of the story, leaving the audience with a lot of key questions.
Directed by
Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell
A Deadly American Marriagetellsthe true storyof Irish widower, Jason Corbett, who meets a woman called Molly Martens when she becomes the au pair for his two children, Jack and Sarah. Before long, the pair become romantically involved and moved to North Carolina to start a new life.On July 13, 2025, it all came crashing down when Jason was brutally killed by Molly and her former FBI agent father, Thomas.Father and daughter claimed that Jason was the instigator, and they were simply defending themselves, but the crime scene told a very different story. This was overkill, andthe Netflix documentarydoesn’t hold back on the brutal images of the deadly scene.
The first half ofA Deadly American Marriagepaints Jason Corbett as a wonderful father and bereaved husband after the sudden death of his first wife, Margaret Fitzpatrick. From the Corbett family’s viewpoint, Jason fell victim to an ‘unprovoked’ attack by his second wife, Molly, and her father, Thomas. However, the second half of the Netflix documentary delves into the possibility that he wasn’t the perfect man he appeared to be in public, and his behavior towards Molly might have been a motivating factor in his brutal slaying. Of course, nothing justifies such a violent murder, but it did add possible context to it.The mysterious death of Jason’s first wife, Margaret, also added a layer of complexity to the case.Margaret supposedly died of an asthma attack, but Molly’s lawyers claim it could have been the act of strangulation that led to her actual death. This is something Molly claims happened to her as well, and if her father hadn’t intervened, it could have led to her death.
In 2017, Molly and Thomas were convicted of second-degree murder after they admitted to beating Jason to death with a baseball bat. However,the pair appealed the conviction in 2021, and pleaded no contest, and the charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter.This was because the pair insisted they acted in self-defense, and it was a response to the alleged domestic abuse Molly suffered at the hands of Jason. In an interview withTudum, directors, Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell opened up about their approach to thetrue-crime documentary:
This case demonstrates how complex the American justice system is. Where is the truth? Where are the lies? Where is justice? This documentary demonstrates that it’s not clear-cut. From the very beginning, we approached both families. For the film to remain objective and balanced, we never discussed information we learned with either side.
Jack and Sarah were aged 8 and 10 respectively when their father, Jason, was murdered, and after initially claiming that they witnessed domestic abuse leveled at Molly, they later recanted their statements. They insisted that Molly actually coerced them into saying those things about their father. A custody battle ensued between Molly and Jason’s sister, Tracey, and her husband, David, with the latter being granted guardianship of Jack and Sarah. Molly and Thomas Martens were released from prison on Jun 09, 2025.
