Latest news with #ThomasMartens
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
I woke up in my childhood bedroom with the house full of police and covered in blood - what my stepmother had done turned my life upside-down
A young woman has spoken out about her stepmother's violent killing of her father - which saw her wake up to her childhood home full of police and covered in blood. Sarah Corbett Lynch, 18, appeared on This Morning today, sitting down with presenters Ben Shepherd, 50, and Cat Deeley, 48, to tell all about her experience. It came after a documentary about her ordeal, titled A Deadly American Marriage, was released on Netflix last month, which she features in. She has also written a memoir, called A Time For Truth, about her experience, which came out earlier this year. Her appearance on the ITV chat show saw her recall the night of her father Jason Corbett's death in August 2015, at the hands of his wife Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Sarah explained to Ben and Cat: 'I remember everything from that night.' She recalled being woken up by a kind police officer, who gave her two options: 'I could walk down the stairs backwards with my eyes closed or he could carry me down the stairs with my eyes closed.' The house was full with the sound of police officers - which fell suddenly silent when they reached the bottom of the stairs: 'There were dozens of people inside the house... 'As he carried me down the stairs, he covered my face with his hand and put my head in the nape of his neck.' He was shielding her from the grisly, violent scene that lay below - Jason, then 39, had been beaten to death by Molly and her former FBI agent father. Sarah said: 'I'm extremely lucky for the fact that he did that and I couldn't have asked for a better officer to have been there with me.' Originally from Ireland, Sarah was born to businessman Jason and his first wife Margaret Fitzpatrick, known as Mags - who sadly died when Sarah was just twelve weeks old. The widower, then 32, hired American 24-year-old Molly as a live-in nanny two years later to take care of Sarah and her older brother Jack, then aged one and three. Jason and Molly (pictured, in an old picture shown in the Netflix documentary) soon fell in love, marrying in 2011, with the whole family relocating from Limerick, Ireland, to North Carolina in the US when Sarah was just four Jason and Molly soon fell in love, marrying in 2011, with the whole family relocating from Limerick, Ireland, to North Carolina in the US when Sarah was just four. Sarah said the move was 'really exciting at the beginning... The weather was great, the houses were huge and I remember running around my new bedroom, really excited. 'And Molly and my dad hand in hand picking out furniture and pointing where they were going to put it, so at the beginning, it was like a new beginning. 'She cooked us dinner, my dad would take us to school and she'd collect us.' But things soon turned sour: 'Most of my memories looking back on it now, it probably wasn't a healthy relationship. 'Molly was very manipulative and would pit me and Jack against each other.' She explained: 'If Jack did good at a swim meet, he was the favourite child and she would give him all of the glory and then I would be "the little shrimp", as she used to call me, when I didn't do well in swimming.' Sarah added: 'Molly started telling me that my dad killed my birth mum when I was six years old. She told me my dad was a bad man. 'Molly also taught me that vomiting was OK to keep myself skinny for swimming when I was six and that shoplifting was OK.' The atmosphere at home 'was always tense', with Sarah always feeling 'a ball of anxiety': 'But it was our normal.' She emphasised: 'My dad was always extremely loving to me and Jack and he did try his best with Molly, bringing her flowers home. 'It was really difficult to keep Molly happy and if you didn't, you knew about it.' Following their father's death, Sarah and Jack were soon called in for interviews. But Molly told them beforehand: 'We had to say dad was a bad man and he hit her and if we didn't say those things, we would be separated and we'd never see each other again. 'So, we were really scared and we lied - I told social workers that Molly told me my dad hit her and Molly told me my dad was a bad man.' The siblings recanted those statements just weeks later - but they were nevertheless brought up in court, which saw Molly and her father Tom have their charges dropped from second-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter. They were both released from prison in June 2024. Molly, now 41, and Thomas, 75, still say they killed in self-defence, amid a pattern of abusive, threatening behaviour from Jason towards Molly. Sarah said: 'We have to live with the fact that words we said are part of the reason why the Martens are walking free today.' And her memoir was a chance to tell the truth: 'We didn't have a voice. I wasn't allowed to give evidence. I wasn't allowed to be a character witness. 'I was under a gag order so I couldn't even talk to my friends or family or media. 'And it was extremely difficult because you can't defame the dead so the Martens could say anything about my dad.' It was difficult to hear this 'completely fabricated narrative about my dad's personality': 'That really shows the character of the people that the Martens are.' After their father's death, Sarah and Jack moved back to Ireland to live with their aunt and uncle Tracey and David, who she now calls her parents. Sarah described it as 'the best thing that happened to me... I was put into a safe family environment and I was extremely lucky. 'Tracey and David took us in like we were their own kids. They have never treated us differently. They have two of their own sons who I now call my brothers. 'And another thing was they never said a bad thing about the Martens.' It was to the extent that several years ago, Sarah said: 'I was begging Tracey to say something negative about Molly and she said, "I don't like that woman, she killed my brother", and that was it.' Molly and Thomas's initial convictions, for second-degree murder, in 2017 - for which they were sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison - were overturned in 2020, over errors in and omission of evidence. The Martens reached a plea deal in October 2023 to drop the second-degree murder charges, with Molly pleading no contest and Thomas guilty to voluntary manslaughter - getting a minimum of 51 months in prison and credit for time served. Sarah and Jack had had no contact with them up to this point - 'other than Molly trying to fly planes over our school and going on social media, trying to contact friends of mine I sat next to in school'. But it was then Sarah was finally able to contribute to the evidence process, reading out a victim impact statement. She said: 'I wasn't afraid of them anymore. They had taken up so much space in my life and I didn't want to give them the power over me anymore. 'I've cried a lot less since writing the book because I took all of my childhood trauma and everything bad that happened to me and put it into it.' She finished: 'People who are going through similar, really difficult situations, know that: you will be able to find the light at the end of the tunnel and have a normal life. 'Everybody has good and bad days, whether they've been through traumatic experiences or not.'
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix: Where is Molly Martens now?
New Netflix hit documentary, A Deadly American Marriage, is quickly becoming a favourite with true crime enthusiasts all over the world. A Deadly American Marriage tells the real life story of the killing of 39 year-old Irish father-of-two, Jason Corbett, in his home in North Carolina in 2015. Jason's wife, Molly Martens Corbett, and his father-in-law, Thomas Martens, were both found guilty of second degree murder in 2017. However, their convictions were later overturned on appeal and, following plea bargains, the murder charges were dropped and Molly Martens pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while Tom Martens pleaded guilty to the same charge. Molly Martens Corbett and Thomas Martens were both released from prison in 2024. The case was widely covered at the time by The Irish Mirror. In fact, award winning Irish Mirror journalist, Nicola Donnelly, exclusively revealed in early December 2023, that prison records showed both Molly Martens Corbett and her father, Thomas Martens were set to walk in that month - after only serving a month behind bars- as our front page on Monday, December 4, 2023 showed. On seeing both their prison records showed Thomas was to be released on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 and Molly on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, The Irish Mirror contacted the Department of Adult Correction in North Carolina who confirmed the release dates were correct. But hours later, red-faced prison officials admitted to a mix up due to 'human error' and reversed their embarrassing error on their release dates which then prevented the pair from walking free. Molly Martens is now 41 years-old and in 'A Deadly American Marriage' she insists both she and her father were fighting for lives the night Limerick father-of-two, Jason Corbett died. 'I was going to save her life or die trying and I have no regrets," said Thomas Martens. In the lead-up to the premiere of 'A Deadly American Marriage', Molly's brother Connor Martens told WBIR-TV in Knoxville Tennessee, that his sister was "doing really well" and she was close to finishing a university degree. Connor said his father was also 'doing really well' and was 'just so grateful for all the small things in life". "Molly definitely has elements of that but it's harder for her. She's in kind of the thick of her life and she's not retired, and there's been a lot more media scrutiny and harassment and she struggles a little bit more with the trauma, but overall I think she's really grateful and she's doing really well, all things considered," he said. 'A Deadly American Marriage' is currently streaming on Netflix.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Where Is Molly Martens Now? Inside Her Shocking Prison Release And Retrial
Molly Martens in "A Deadly American Marriage." Netflix's new true-crime documentary A Deadly American Marriage revisits the violent killing of Jason Corbett, an Irish father of two who was brutally beaten to death by his wife, Molly Martens, and her father, Thomas Martens. The documentary, now streaming on Netflix, offers a first-hand look at both sides of the complex case that has sparked debate across true crime podcasts, books, and 20/20 and 48 hour episodes. Did Molly and her former FBI agent father kill Jason out of fear for their lives – or was Jason the innocent victim of a calculated attack? Directors Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell approached both families when creating the documentary. 'For the film to remain objective and balanced, we never discussed information we learned with either side," they told Netflix's Tudum. Speaking about the father and daughter, the directors added, 'Molly and Tom's time in prison was devastating for them and all who loved and supported them.' They also said that Molly and Tom 'don't believe they should have ever been convicted, let alone received a custodial sentence.' Where is Molly Martens now, and is she out of prison? Here's everything to know about her life today and her account of what happened the night her husband died. A Deadly American Marriage. (L to R) Jack Corbett Lynch, Sarah Corbett Lynch, Molly Martens Corbett ... More and Jason Corbett in A Deadly American Marriage. Molly Martens is an American woman from Knoxville, Tennessee, who worked as an au pair for Irish businessman Jason Corbett in Limerick, Ireland. She responded to an ad he posted on an au pair website in 2008, shortly after the death of his first wife, Margaret 'Mags' Fitzpatrick. Martens, who was 24 at the time, recalled in A Deadly American Marriage that she had recently suffered a miscarriage and had always loved children. She accepted the job and moved to Ireland to care for Corbett's two young children, Jack and Sarah, who were three and one at the time. Eventually, Jason and Molly's relationship turned more romantic. 'He was charming, funny. He made me feel really special,' Molly said in the film. 'I felt like I was bringing joy back into Jack, Sarah and Jason's life." A Deadly American Marriage. (L to R) Jason Corbett and Molly Martens Corbett in A Deadly American ... More Marriage. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025 Corbett was able to relocate his job to the U.S., and the couple moved from Limerick to the small community of Meadowlands, North Carolina. They tied the knot in 2011, surrounded by family and friends. However, according to the documentary, Molly allegedly told conflicting stories to her loved ones about the nature of her relationship with Jason and the kids. For example, Molly's maid of honor recalled that Molly had fabricated a story about traveling to Limerick to be a godmother, claiming she had been childhood friends with their late mother. In another instance, she reportedly told people in town that she had given birth to Sarah. A former college roommate also remembered Molly saying she was raising her late sister's children after the sister died of cancer. According to the documentary, investigators used these bizarre stories and lies to deem Molly as an unreliable source the night Jason died. A Deadly American Marriage. (L to R) Jason Corbett and Molly Martens Corbett in A Deadly American ... More Marriage. From the outside, the couple appeared to be living a fairytale life in North Carolina. But emails and Facebook messages between Jason, Molly, and his loved ones revealed trouble brewing underneath the surface. Jason's sister, Tracy Lynch, recalled in the documentary that, before his death, Jason had spoken to her about moving back to Ireland because his marriage was no longer in a good place. At the same time, Molly was very eager to adopt the children. While Jason appeared to be open to the idea, in emails to attorneys shown in the documentary, Jason wanted to ensure he would retain full custody in the event of a divorce. Ultimately, it was his sister and her husband, not Molly, who were named the children's legal guardians, reported. 'I wanted to adopt them because they were my children,' Molly said in the documentary, adding that she and Jason had discussed including an adoption ceremony as part of their wedding. 'There was a lot of promises that were broken, but that was a big one." Meanwhile, Molly and the defense pointed to what they described as ongoing abusive and violent behavior by Corbett that had escalated over the course of their marriage. (Jason's children later testified that they never saw their father lay a hand on Molly. They also claimed that Molly had instructed them to lie to investigators after their father's death.) Thomas Martens in "A Deadly American Marriage." On the night of August 2, 2015, Molly's father Thomas, a former FBI agent, and her mother Sharon, were staying at their house in North Carolina. Thomas told investigators that he was awoken by a ruckus upstairs. He grabbed an aluminum baseball bat he brought as a gift for the kids and ran to his daughter's side. When Jason allegedly saw Tom coming, he grabbed his wife's throat and said he was going to 'kill' Molly, according to police interviews obtained by CBS. Tom told police that he hit Jason with a baseball bat, but Jason pushed him to the ground, and he thought his son-in-law could kill him. Molly said that she also hit Jason with a paving stone that was sitting on her nightstand. When asked by police why she had a paving stone on her nightstand, she answered, 'Um, the kids and I — we were going to paint — paint these bricks and flowers around the mailbox.' Tom dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that his son-in-law needed help. "He's bleeding all over, and I, I may have killed him," he said in the call played in the documentary. They then appeared to perform CPR as paramedics made their way to the bloody crime scene. Corbett's autopsy report revealed abrasions on his forehead, under his eye, and on his shoulder blades. He also had 'horrific' injuries to his head. Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin said in the doc that he had so many blows to his head, 'the pathologist couldn't count them because they overlapped and a chunk of Jason's skull fell out onto the table.' Meanwhile, Molly and Thomas didn't appear to have any bodily injuries that would point to a violent struggle between them. Molly Martens At their first trial in 2017, the defense argued that Molly and Thomas Martens acted in self-defense, claiming they feared for their lives. Meanwhile, the prosecution contended that Corbett was murdered because Molly was upset he planned to leave her and take the children. Both were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. However, four years later, their convictions were overturned in 2021 following an appeal and the granting of a retrial. Molly and Thomas ultimately accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the murder charges being dropped. They were sentenced to serve between 51 and 74 months in prison. Having already served 44 months following their original convictions, they were released in June 2024 after serving just seven additional months. 'After a nine-year battle for justice, we are deeply disappointed by the impending release of Tom and Molly Martens, the individuals responsible for the senseless and brutal murder of Jason, leaving his two children orphaned,' Jason's family said in a statement. A Deadly American Marriage. (L to R) Jack Corbett Lynch, Molly Martens Corbett, and Sarah Corbett ... More Lynch in A Deadly American Marriage. Molly Martens and her father Tom were released from prison in June 2024 and are currently out on parole. She was interviewed for Netflix's documentary Deadly American Marriage, where she shares her version of what happened before, during, and after her husband's tragic killing on August 2, 2015. After she was released from custody in June 2024, The Times reported that she was expected to move in with one of her brothers in North Carolina for her 12-month parole period – far from the family home where Corbett was killed. As of May 9, 2025, she is likely nearing the end of her parole, which is set to expire next month. She and her father, who moved back to Knoxville, must remain drug-free throughout their parole and are subject to random drug screenings. 'I can state that both will serve their 12 months of post-release supervision in Tennessee under an interstate compact, which is a fairly common circumstance. They will be subject to North Carolina conditions, but Tennessee department of corrections will supervise," Brad Deen, communications officer at the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, said, according to the newspaper. Molly is not allowed to contact Jack or Sarah Corbett, which could constitute a breach of their parole. In the doc, Molly reflected on whether she still views herself as the children's mother. "I think that they hate the person that they think that I am, and they think of me as an evil abuser and they think their father was wonderful. I certainly am not their mother now [...] [But] I was the mother of the Jack and Sarah that existed in another lifetime," she said. Molly maintains that she never committed a crime and that her husband was killed in self-defense. "I had one moment in this altercation where I protected my father, and if I hadn't done that, I believe that he would be dead, and then I would also have been killed,' she said. A Deadly American Marriage is now streaming. Watch the official trailer below.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- The Sun
Who was Jason Corbett and what happened to him? Deadly American Marriage real story explained
JASON Corbett was killed by his wife Molly Martens and her father in a case which rocked both the USA and Ireland. The mysteries around his death will be examined in the Netflix documentary A Deadly American Marriage. 4 4 A whirlwind relationship Before meeting Martens, Jason lived in Limerick with his wife Margaret 'Mags' and their two children, Jack and Sarah. In 2006, Mags sadly died unexpectedly after suffering an asthma attack. Two years later, Jason hired a then-31-year-old Molly Martens to be an au pair to his two children. However, Jason and Martens quickly began a relationship and married just three years after meeting. They decided to move to the United States and settled in Lexington, North Carolina, which neighboured Martens home state of Tennessee. However, their relationship was rocked by a disagreement over Sarah and Jack's citizenship. While Jason had applied for his family to obtain green cards, Martens wanted to adopt the two children so they could acquire American citizenship. Jason's family became concerned about the relationship and alleged that Martens had a history of compulsive lying. His sister, Tracey Lynch, discovered that Martens had been released from a psychiatric clinic in Georgia before travelling to Ireland in 2008. She hadn't told Jason about her stay in the facility until they were married. 4 Martens even told a local Bible study group that Sarah was her biological daughter. Jason's mysterious murder On August 2, 2025, Thomas Martens - Molly Martens' father - phoned the emergency services and said that Jason was badly injured. Both Thomas and Molly Martens said that Jason had died during a 'domestic disturbance'. Molly Martens had the house industrially cleaned just hours after being released from police custody, making it difficult for the police to properly investigate Jason's death. Martens applied for custody of Jack and Sarah, despite Tracey Lynch being named as their guardian in Jason's will. Thomas Martens claimed that he saw Jason strangling Molly, prompting him to wrestle his son-in-law to the ground. He alleged that Molly Martens then struck Jason with a paving stone, before he also hit Jason with a baseball bat. Jack and Sarah both told a social worker that their father had suffered from anger management issues, though Jack later rescinded his statements and claimed that Molly had told him what to say. Authorities discovered that Jason had been planning to move back to Ireland on August 21, 2015, and also found that there was no evidence of a struggle between Jason and Thomas Martens. 4 A tense court battle Molly Martens and her father were arrested and charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in relation to Jason's death. The pair were found guilty of the second-degree murder charge and were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison. On March 12, 2021, the Martens were granted a second trial due to Sarah and Jack's statements being excluded from being used by defence lawyers. Thomas and Molly Martens accepted plea bargains, which offered them the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. They were sentenced in November 2023 to between 51 and 74 months in prison. On June 6, 2024, they were released upon completing their sentences. A Deadly American Marriage The mysteries surrounding Jason's death will be explored in the nailbiting documentary A Deadly American Marriage. Featuring interviews with the police officers who brought the Martens to justice, as well as Jason's family, the documentary is told from both perspectives on the case. True crime fans can watch the documentary special when it lands on Netflix on May 9.
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- Irish Times
A Deadly American Marriage review: Excruciating documentary gives Jason Corbett's killers Molly Martens and her father a platform and megaphone
Netflix's true crime documentary about the 2015 killing of Limerick father of two Jason Corbett clocks in at more than 90 minutes, and every single one is excruciating to sit through. Not just because of the details it goes into regarding the horrific death suffered by Corbett in his home in North Carolina . But also because of the centrality to the story of his children, Jack and Sarah – young adults today but shell-shocked kids (aged 10 and eight respectively) when their father was killed and their new life with a new mother, Molly Martens , was turned on its head. True crime is often exploitative, and that charge can certainly be directed at Netflix, which with A Deadly American Marriage provides a platform and megaphone to the individuals found guilty of his killing: Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens – initially convicted of murder but who later had their sentences reduced to voluntary manslaughter. Freed from prison in 2024, they are allowed to reassert their allegation that the killing was in self-defence and that Corbett had a temper and could be abusive towards Molly. Thomas also repeats the bizarre assertion that Corbett was somehow involved in the death of his first wife, Mags – something denied by her family, who reject outright Thomas's claim that Mag's late father shared his suspicions with him. In addition to Molly and Thomas Martens, the film features extensive interviews with Jack and Sarah, along with Jason Corbett's sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch and her husband, David, who are legal guardians of Jason's children. In a statement, the family said they agreed to take part to spotlight injustices in the legal system. 'Participating in the Netflix documentary was important to us because it highlights the profound impact of the absence of justice we faced in the judicial system,' they said on Facebook. 'We are not alone in our experiences. We hope the documentary honours Jason's memory while advocating for justice and ensuring that the voices of victims are heard, especially when the judicial system has failed them.' Their message is that their father was an innocent man and that his killers have not been made pay for their crimes. Blinking away tears, Sarah speaks about how the Martens's lawyers were able to direct attention away from the brutal violence inflicted on their father and to put him in the dock instead, with no way to defend himself. 'I feel like my dad's on trial. All the focus is on my dad's character,' she says. 'What Molly and Tom Martens took from me I can never get back. I've seen his [Jason Corbett's] bloody handprint on the door ... He did not chose to leave us. He was taken from us.' READ MORE The documentary does not pass judgment on either side, but the Corbetts were suspicious of Molly from early on. On the morning of Jason and Molly's wedding, Tracey Corbett-Lynch recalls a bridesmaid telling her that Molly had claimed that she and Mags had been best friends and that she was Sarah's godmother – fabrications that set alarms off. At the time, Molly had been pressing Jason to consent to her adopting Jack and Sarah, which would have made her their legal guardian, meaning she could have been granted custody if the relationship ended. 'Our theory is that Molly had devised some explosive event,' says Alan Martin, the assistant district attorney in Davidson County, North Carolina, who worked on the case for six years. 'If Molly could get Jason to blow up while her parents were there as witnesses she could apply for a domestic violence protective order. And then she can file for emergency custody of the children. And take his children away from him. When the plan [went amiss] it appears she quit caring whether or not he lived or died.' [ Netflix applying its binge-watch formula to Jason Corbett's killing is not a surprise Opens in new window ] Netflix's true crime documentaries have a habit of outstaying their welcome – of flogging a tragedy for all it is worth and filling out the run time with extraneous detail (2019's The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann delved into the history of tourism in the Algarve and the difference in policing in Spain and Portugal). However, directors Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell tell Jason Corbett's story economically, resisting the temptation to pad it out with pointless waffle. Whether A Deadly American Marriage should have been made in the first place is another question – there is always an element of the ghoulish circus to these affairs – but you do have to credit the family for speaking up and giving their version of events.
