Latest news with #JasonCorbett
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teen daughter of murder victim writes children's book series
An Irish businessman is killed by his American au-pair-turned-wife and her father. They claim self-defense. The dead man's sister fights to clear his name. "48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher investigates in "In Jason's Name," By the time Sarah Corbett Lynch was 8 years old, she had lost three parents, been moved back and forth halfway across the world twice and experienced more loss than anyone of us do in an entire lifetime, let alone childhood. Sarah's birth mother died when she was just an infant. A few years later, her father Jason Corbett, a successful Irish businessman, married their young, beautiful American nanny, Molly Martens. The newlyweds, Sarah and her older brother Jack, moved from Limerick to North Carolina. Molly was the only mother Sarah had ever really known and the two were incredibly close. But the married couple grew apart and on Aug. 2, 2015, Jason Corbett was beaten to death by Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens. They claimed it was self-defense. Within days of Jason Corbett's death, a very public and ugly international custody battle ensued between Molly Corbett and Jason's sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch. Corbett-Lynch prevailed. The children abruptly moved back to Ireland to live with their aunt, uncle and two cousins. Molly Corbett and her father were convicted of murder and sentenced 20 to 25 years in prison. In March 2021, the North Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial. The two were released on bond the following month. In October 2023, Molly Corbett pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and Tom Martens pleaded guilty to the same charge; the second-degree murder charge was dropped. They were each sentenced to another 7 to 30 months in prison. In June 2024, both completed their sentences and were released from prison. You might expect a child exposed to so much loss and pain from a violent act to lash out at some point, but for Sarah, the pen became mightier than a sword. At 13 years old, the young author published a series of children's books. "Some kids have a really gentle, fun life. For some of us we are not so lucky," she told The Irish Times. Perhaps the way in which she lost her parents was unique, but Sarah realized the overwhelming feelings of loss were not. "It basically helped me feel less alone and so I began to write about my experiences through my stories," she said. "Noodle Loses Dad, "the first book of the Boogawooga series, is a tale of young brother and sister wolves whose father is snatched by an evil vulture, never to be seen again. The frightened cubs are taken in by a kind and generous family of monkeys, a mother, father and two boys, who live "across the pond" on an island. Despite the simple words and soft pastel illustrations, the similarities between Sarah's real-life drama and the misfortunes that befall the cute, innocent forest animals are undeniable. "These stories are a means for Sarah to share her experiences over recent years transforming her story into something that can be understood by other children coping with loss, grief, blended family and being re-homed due to personal circumstances," said Sarah's uncle, David Lynch. In the end, the orphans successfully learn to live a very different life than the one they had planned. A fitting end for the book and hopeful beginning for a teenager recently honored with the Limerick Garda Youth Award for Most Courageous and Inspiring Young Person. Sarah Corbett Lynch's latest book, "A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing," was released in March 2025. 4 women arrested for allegedly aiding escaped New Orleans inmates 9 young siblings killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza Summer travel season kicks off
CBS News
20-05-2025
- CBS News
Jason Corbett murder: A look at the evidence
48 Hours Jason Corbett murder: A look at the evidence Davidson County Courthouse In August 2015, former FBI agent Tom Martens and his daughter Molly Corbett admitted killing her Irish-born husband Jason Corbett, insisting they beat him in self-defense with a brick paver and a baseball bat because Jason was choking Molly and threatening to kill her. Investigators photographed Molly and Jason Corbett's bedroom after the murder. Blood spatter can be seen on the bed. Measuring Spatter Davidson County Courthouse An investigator measures the height of the blood spatter on the wall in Molly and Jason Corbett's bedroom. The prosecution says Jason's head was 12-18 inches above the ground when he was struck, meaning he was struck when he was down. The Bat Davidson County Courthouse Tom Martens used this baseball bat to hit Jason Corbett when, Martens claims, he saw his son-in-law strangling his daughter Molly. He told investigators he had been spending the night at his daughter's home. After being awakened by a commotion upstairs, he says he grabbed the aluminum Little League baseball bat he brought as a gift for the kids – and ran to her room. The Brick Davidson County Courthouse Molly Corbett used this brick to hit Jason on the head. She claims it was sitting on her nightstand in the bedroom because she and the kids planned to paint it for an art project. Molly also told police that her husband was "screaming 'I'm going to kill you.'" Molly's Shirt Davidson County Courthouse Investigators photograph Molly's clothes and indicate the blood spatter. Molly Corbett Davidson County Courthouse Investigators photograph Molly Corbett at the sheriff's office after Jason's murder. The prosecution used this photo in court to show that Molly did not appear to have any injuries. Tom Martens Davidson County Courthouse Investigators photograph Tom Martens at the sheriff's office after Jason Corbett's murder. The prosecution used this photo in court to show that Tom did not appear to have any injuries. Tom Martens' shirt Davidson County Courthouse Markers indicate blood spatter on Tom Martens' shirt. Bloody Boxers Davidson County Courthouse Markers indicate blood spatter on Tom Martens' boxer shorts. These spots were never tested, but the prosecution argues the spatter indicates that Tom was standing over Jason as he hit him with the baseball bat. Jason's Blood on Molly Davidson County Courthouse Molly Corbett, with Jason's blood on her, is photographed outside after his murder. Molly's Neck Davidson County Courthouse Molly Corbett told investigators she was in pain from the choke hold her husband Jason allegedly had her in. There was a small red mark on her neck. It is hard to see in this photo.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
A Deadly American Marriage true story: Where are Jason Corbett's kids now? Everything you need to know
Netflix's A Deadly American Marriage has sparked widespread interest, delving into the harrowing true story of Jason Corbett's untimely death and the courtroom drama that ensued. The compelling docuseries examines the twists and turns of the case while also drawing attention to the uncertain fate of Jason's two children, who found themselves at the heart of a painful family conflict. As the episodes unfold, one pressing question remains for viewers: what happened to Jason Corbett's kids? What is A Deadly American Marriage about? Jason Corbett, an Irish widower and father of two, appeared to have found a second chance at happiness in 2008 when he fell in love with his American au pair, Molly Martens. What began as a seemingly perfect love story led the couple and Jason's children, Jack and Sarah to relocate from Ireland to North Carolina in hopes of starting fresh. However, their new beginning ended in tragedy on August 2, 2015, when Jason was killed during a violent incident in their home. Where are Jason Corbett's kids now? Jason and Molly had been raising his two children, Jack and Sarah Corbett Lynch his son and daughter from his first marriage to Margaret Fitzpatrick, who had passed away unexpectedly from an asthma attack in the early 2000s. In 2015, Jason Corbett was brutally killed at his home in North Carolina, having been struck with both a baseball bat and a paving brick. His wife, Molly Martens, and her father, Tom Martens, were charged with second-degree murder, though both pleaded not guilty. The charges were later reduced to voluntary manslaughter. After Jason's death both kids claimed to have seen their father abusing Molly. However, according to a 2020 ruling by the North Carolina Court of Appeals and as revealed in the documentary, the children later withdrew these statements, revealing they had been coached by Molly Martens. In the docuseries, the two also say that they were kids and they lied after being told to do so. Since the death of their father Jason in 2015, Sarah and Jack have been living in Limerick, Ireland, with their aunt and uncle, Tracey and David Lynch. Among the siblings, Sarah is the more vocal, often sharing posts on Instagram to remember both of her parents Jack, on the other hand, is far more reserved than his younger sister. According to Sarah, he is a singer-songwriter currently pursuing a degree in music at college. He chooses to keep details about their parents' deaths private, and his Instagram account is also set to private.
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Irish Times
A new version of the story of Jason Corbett, Molly Martens, his children and her father
At 10.23am on Monday, August 3rd, 2015, Shelly Lee was assigned case file 37698. The social worker with Davidson County's department of social services in the US state of North Carolina opened the homicide report of Jason Corbett , an Irishman beaten to death the previous day in his family home. Lee had 72 hours to assess the welfare of Jason's children: Jack, aged 10, and Sarah, aged eight. Both had been asleep upstairs during the killing. Detectives wanted to interview them about allegations of domestic violence in the home. There was a complicating factor, however: the children were Irish citizens from Jason's first marriage to Margaret 'Mags' Fitzpatrick. READ MORE Mags, who owned a creche in Limerick, died suddenly in 2006, aged 31. At the time of her death, Jack was two and Sarah was 11 weeks. Molly Martens left her home in Tennessee for Limerick in March 2008 and became the children's au pair. She and Jason became romantically involved and were married in 2011 at Bleak House, Knoxville, in Martens's home state. Four years later, Jason was dead. Corbett's killing and the subsequent trials of his wife Molly and her father Tom , a retired FBI agent, over his violent death have gripped audiences. A new Netflix documentary about his killing, A Deadly American Marriage , draws on previously undisclosed material, from case notes by social workers to detailed reports by police detectives and emergency responders, from criminal trial exhibits to transcripts and legal papers in court proceedings. Jason Corbett and Molly Martens with Corbett's children, Jack and Sarah Corbett-Lynch. Photograph: Netflix In 2017, Martens and her father were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to at least 20 years. In 2021 their convictions were overturned following an appeal. Two years later, they reached a plea deal on the charge of voluntary manslaughter. Both received shorter sentences and were returned to prison for seven months. They were released in June 2024. In the end, each served a total of four years and three months in prison for the killing of Jason Corbett. The Netflix documentary centres on Corbett, his marriage to Molly, his killing in 2015, and how his two children, Jack and Sarah, were affected by the eight-year legal battles between those seeking justice for their father's killing and those claiming the Martens were victims of a miscarriage of justice. Within hours of their father's death on August 2nd, 2015, the orphaned children found themselves at the centre of an international custody dispute between their stepmother, Molly, and Jason's Irish relatives. Less than seven hours after Corbett's killing, Molly and Tom Martens were allowed to take the two children, even though Molly had not adopted them. Jason's will named his sister, Tracey Lynch, as guardian. Twenty minutes after opening the file, Lee, the social worker, received a call from Lynch, who detailed her concerns for Jack and Sarah's safety. Lynch informed Lee of Molly's mental health issues and the 'strong medications' she was taking for bipolar disorder. Molly, she said, was denying access to the children. The detail is contained in an extensively documented Department of Social Services case file, which outlines all of the children's interactions with social workers after their father's killing. Molly's lawyers sought the case file under discovery, in advance of the 2017 murder trial, and drew on its contents when successfully appealing their second-degree murder convictions in 2021. [ A Deadly American Marriage review: Excruciating documentary gives Jason Corbett's killers Molly Martens and her father a platform and megaphone Opens in new window ] Next, on that morning of August 3rd, 2015, an Irish consular official warned Lee that Molly was trying to cremate Jason's body before Tracey arrived in the United States. Lee then spoke to Lieutenant Wanda Thompson, who was leading the investigation. The 72-hour response time was upgraded to 'urgent', the case file said. Police and social workers needed to speak to the children, but Molly controlled access. Three days after the killing, Molly was granted emergency custody for 15 days, pending a full guardianship hearing. What happened in those 15 days would shape Jack and Sarah's lives. During that time, both children told social workers they had not witnessed the events of August 2nd, 2015, but they said they had seen their father hit, shove and verbally abuse Molly in the past. This supported the account given by Tom and Molly on the night Jason died. Molly (31) told police she had previously sought medical care for injuries caused by Jason. She admitted to hitting Jason with a brick from her bedside table – once, to protect her father. Tom (65), a retired FBI agent, told 911 operator Karen Capps, according to a transcript of the call, that he struck Jason with a baseball bat. 'He's bleeding all over, and I may have killed him ... He was choking my daughter. He said: 'I'm going to kill her.'' Thomas and Molly Martens pictured in November 2023. Photographs: Hannah Cox Capps believed Martens and her father were faking CPR, even as Molly cried out: 'I think he's still alive.' Capps told this to the judge in the 2017 murder trial in 'voir dire' testimony – where a witness is questioned in the absence of the jury. The judge, however, ruled that the jury should not hear Capps's 'opinion'. When paramedics arrived, Jason's body was cold. The blood on the carpet had congealed. The room was so bloody, one responder thought Jason had been shot and he asked Tom and Molly where the gun was, according to official notes on the case. The weapons – a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and a concrete brick – were feet away in the darkened room. Jason lay naked, his feet toward the bed, his head near a bloodied vacuum cleaner. Blood spatter expert Stuart James later said in a report submitted to court as evidence that the blood on the vacuum cleaner defied physics. Blood had dripped sideways on the vacuum cleaner, suggesting the scene had been altered. He noted blood impact spatters descending along the wall, ending with Jason struck inches from the floor. A partial bloody handprint was found on the bedroom door, suggesting that Corbett might have been trying to escape. Neither Molly nor Tom had blood on their hands. [ A Time for Truth by Sarah Corbett Lynch: Daughter of Jason Corbett makes for a compelling and understandably angry narrator Opens in new window ] A review of the crime scene video and autopsy photos shows Jason had been struck at least 12 times in 10 locations. Two areas, both at the back of the head, showed overlapping impacts. This had the effect of obscuring which weapon – the brick or the bat – had caused the initial wound. In his interview with police, Tom claimed to have no knowledge of the bloodstained brick in the bedroom. He had not seen Molly hit Jason with it. Whichever weapon was deployed, Jason's skull was crushed. He was declared dead at 3.24am. Despite blood spatter on her clothing, Molly showed no signs of a struggle. A fragile bracelet on her wrist remained intact, as photos taken of her on the night of the killing show. The fact the bracelet was fragile and intact was raised in the 2017 criminal trial. Tom's hands were also clean, as seen in police photos taken on the night of the killing, though he claimed he had supported Jason's head to clear his airway per 911 instructions, according to the transcript of that call. Detectives noted how Tom tried to control his police interview, repeatedly emphasising his 'state of mind', according to Lieut Thompson, the investigating officer. A former lawyer and FBI expert in crime scenes and interrogation, Tom knew that self-defence hinged on convincing a jury that he and Molly feared for their lives. According to the transcript of his police interview, Tom told detectives that Jason's first wife had died in mysterious circumstances – by asphyxiation, not asthma, as Jason claimed. Detectives noted that Tom had now alleged two choking events: one ending Mags's life and one that would have ended Molly's had he not intervened. It would take years before the full significance of those statements became clear. After 15 days in Molly's custody, a judge awarded guardianship to Tracey Lynch. Jack and Sarah cried and begged to stay with Molly – the only mother they remembered. Back in Ireland, with counselling and time, the children recanted, telling the prosecuting district attorney over the following years that they had lied to social workers in 2015 about their father being abusive. They now claimed Molly was the abuser. Martens and her father were charged with second-degree murder. At the 2017 trial, the judge excluded the children's initial claims, made during their 15 days with Molly. Without the children's abuse allegations, the defence had no proof of domestic violence. Tom and Molly were convicted and sentenced to 20 years. They appealed. The court ruled the children's statements should have been heard. The convictions were overturned. Jack and Sarah were devastated. Their initial allegations had helped free the people who killed their father. They vowed to tell the truth in a retrial. But Tom's lawyers fought back, claiming Tracey Lynch had brainwashed Jack and Sarah. The Martens hired experts to review Mags's autopsy report. The experts argued Mags had not died from asthma, as previously believed. One expert said it was 'probable' she had been manually strangled. Sarah Corbett-Lynch says there is 'nothing voluntary' about her father's death The district attorney's expert agreed Mags had not died of asthma, but dismissed strangulation as speculative. There was, he said, no scientific basis to show strangulation from Mags's autopsy findings. Still, the district attorney, Garry Frank, decided it was too risky to retry the case. A plea deal was reached . Tom pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Molly entered a 'no contest' plea. She refused to say the word 'guilty'. At sentencing in November 2023, Molly's lawyers accused Jason of killing his first wife. They played the children's interviews accusing their father of violence. Jack (now aged 19) and Sarah (17) had to sit silently as words they uttered as severely traumatised young children were used to tarnish their father more than eight years after his killing. Molly and her father turned their own sentencing hearing into Jason's trial – portraying the victim as the killer. In response, Jack and Sarah gave powerful victim impact statements. They called Molly a 'monster' who manipulated them and abused their father. 'The charge they now accept is voluntary manslaughter,' said Sarah. 'I've seen my father's bloody handprint on the bedroom door. There was nothing voluntary about his death. I know he tried to leave that room. He didn't choose to leave us – he was taken. He was the victim.' In the Netflix documentary, Tom and Molly stuck to their story. They agreed to be interviewed because they were adamant Corbett was a domestic abuser, that Molly was the victim of his abuse and that, on the night of August 2nd, 2015, her father acted to save her life and his own. Looking directly into the camera, Tom said: 'My daughter's not a liar. I'm not a liar. And if you think we are, go ahead – prove it.' Brian Carroll was co-producer on the Netflix documentary and has written a book, A Deadly Marriage, on the killing of Jason Corbett that will be published in August.
Extra.ie
18-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Sarah Corbett Lynch; 'Molly had a new lease of life at memorial service'
Molly Martens, who, along with her ex-FBI father, bludgeoned her husband Jason Corbett to death, hired 'off-duty' police officers because she believed that the late Limerick man's sister planned to 'kidnap' his two children. Tracey Corbett-Lynch yesterday said Martens thought she and her husband, David, would 'kidnap' Jason's children – Sarah, then aged eight, and Jack, aged 10 – and bring them back to Ireland. Speaking after the airing of a new Netflix documentary, A Deadly American Marriage, about the killing of Mr Corbett and its aftermath, Tracey told the Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ One show: 'Molly had hired a team of offduty police officers from an adjacent county for that memorial service so that we couldn't attend. She felt that we were going to kidnap the children.' Jason Corbett, Molly Martens, Jack Corbett and Sarah Corbett-Lynch in A Deadly American Marriage. Pic: Netflix The Limerick native said that she did want to bring the children home 'as Jason wanted', but stressed that this would be done 'through the courts'. Jason's daughter Sarah described the memorial service in North Carolina that followed her father's killing in August 2015 as 'absolutely bizarre'. She recalled that the Martens family had 'acted like nothing had happened'. She told the programme: 'Molly was acting like she had a new lease of life. So there was a memorial service for my Dad. And I remember standing in the middle of this room with [my brother] Jack, and there were a load of people we had never met. Jason Corbett. Pic: Jason's Journey/Facebook 'There were no pictures of my Dad. My Dad's body wasn't there. My Dad's family wasn't there. 'And it was kind of like a popularity thing for Molly, because everyone was going up to her. But nobody, none of the Martenses ever said, 'I'm sorry your dad is gone.'' Tracey and her husband were subsequently granted custody of the children by the US courts. Jason Corbett met Martens, who was originally from Tennessee, when she worked for him as an au pair after the sudden death from asthma of his first wife and the children's mother, Margaret 'Mags' Fitzpatrick, in 2006. Molly Martens. Pic: Michael Chester They developed a romantic relationship and relocated from Ireland to North Carolina, where they subsequently married. In November 2023, Molly Martens and her father, Thomas Martens, were sentenced to serve between seven months and 30 months in prison for the manslaughter of Jason Corbett on August 2, 2015. They received credit for the 44 months they had already spent in jail after a trial in 2017 for second-degree murder before those convictions were quashed by a court of appeal. Following a plea agreement with prosecutors, Molly Martens did not contest a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Her father pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Sarah Corbett Lynch. Pic: Tom Honan Sarah said they felt 'compelled' to participate in the Netflix documentary, where, for the first time, her brother Jack publicly spoke about the death of their father. While Tracey said they found the documentary 'extremely difficult to watch', adding that they had agreed to view it together. 'It was very raw. We had to pause it a good few times.' Sarah said that since she was very young, Molly Martens used to 'pit' her and her brother against each other. 'One day Jack would be her favourite and I could be the worst child in the world – and then she'd swap,' she said. Tracey said it was only after they gained custody of Sarah and Jack and brought them home that they realised the extent of the damage Martens had inflicted on them over the years. 'We didn't realise, we didn't know the depth of the abuse. We didn't understand it, and it unfolded over a period of time. You've two children with very different personalities as well as being different ages, and while they may have been in the same household, with somewhat different experiences.' She notes they were also 'Grieving the loss of their father, and the loss of another parental figure as well in their life.'
