There are some true-crime documentaries like A Deadly American Marriage that leave you more unsettled by the questions they raise than the crime itself — a Netflix film released May 9, 2025, that revisits the 2015 death of Irish businessman Jason Corbett in North Carolina and the competing stories of murder and self-defense that followed. It’s a case that crossed the Atlantic, split two families, and left two children living with their aunt in Ireland while their stepmother remains in prison.

4 related posts

Netflix release date: May 9, 2025 ·
Documentary title: A Deadly American Marriage ·
Victim: Jason Corbett (Irish citizen) ·
Convicted parties: Molly Corbett (wife) and Thomas Martens (father-in-law) ·
Year of incident: 2015

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • Jason Corbett died on August 2, 2015, from blunt force trauma and asphyxiation (The News & Observer)
  • Molly Corbett and Thomas Martens were convicted of second-degree murder in 2017 (People)
  • Molly’s sentence was later reduced to 12–18 years on appeal (People)
2What’s unclear
  • The exact argument that preceded the killing remains disputed (Forbes)
  • Whether new evidence or interviews appear in the documentary is not fully disclosed (Netflix)
3Timeline signal
  • Key events span from 2006 (first wife’s death) to May 2025 (documentary release) (Decider)
  • Documentary premiered on Netflix on May 9, 2025 (Netflix Tudum)
4What’s next
  • Molly Corbett remains incarcerated in North Carolina (People)
  • Jack and Sarah Corbett live with their aunt in Ireland with no contact with Molly (Decider)

Key facts at a glance: the victim, location, and legal outcomes are summarized below.

Label Value
Victim Jason Corbett, 39, Irish native
Date of death August 2, 2015
Location Davidson, North Carolina, USA
Cause of death Blunt force trauma and asphyxiation
Convicted Molly Corbett (wife) and Thomas Martens (father-in-law)
Molly Corbett sentence (current) 12 to 18 years imprisonment
Documentary release May 9, 2025 on Netflix

What happened to Molly Corbett?

How many years did Molly Corbett get?

  • Molly Corbett was convicted of second-degree murder in 2017 and originally sentenced to 20–25 years in prison (People).
  • On appeal, her sentence was reduced to 12–18 years. She entered a no-contest plea in 2023 (Forbes).
  • Her father, Thomas Martens — a former FBI agent — remains incarcerated after admitting to voluntary manslaughter (Decider).
The catch

The self-defense argument that dominated the trial didn’t persuade the jury in 2017. But the sentence reduction — from 20 to 12 years — signals that the appeals court saw something in the evidence that shifted the legal picture.

Does Molly Corbett see the kids?

She does not. Jack and Sarah Corbett — Jason’s children from his first marriage — were placed in the custody of their paternal aunt, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, in Ireland shortly after the incident. They have no contact with Molly (Netflix). A custody dispute during the trial documented the children’s wishes, and the documentary highlights their absence from Molly’s life as one of the case’s most painful lingering threads.

The implication

Even if Molly is released in the next decade, the relationship with the children may be permanently severed — a consequence that no legal appeal can undo.

Where are Sarah and Jack Corbett now?

What happened to Jason Corbett’s kids?

  • Jack and Sarah Corbett were 10 and 8, respectively, when their father was killed in August 2015 (Decider).
  • They were taken to Ireland and placed in the care of their aunt, Tracey Corbett-Lynch (The News & Observer).
  • The children did not attend the trial and have not visited Molly in prison (People).

Who has custody of Jason Corbett’s children?

Tracey Corbett-Lynch, Jason’s sister, was granted full custody. The arrangement was contested during the trial, but the court determined that the children should remain in Ireland with their paternal family, away from the media scrutiny and the Martens family (The News & Observer).

The pattern

The documentary doesn’t interview the children directly, but their absence from the frame is its own statement. The Corbett-Lynch family has maintained that the children are thriving in Ireland, away from the case that reshaped their childhood.

What happened to Jason Corbett’s first wife?

Background on Margaret ‘Mags’ Corbett

  • Jason Corbett was living in Ireland in 2006 when his first wife, Mags, died from complications of an asthma attack (Decider).
  • Jason became the sole caregiver for Sarah and Jack after her death (Forbes).
  • He later moved to the United States and married Molly Martens in 2011 (The News & Observer).

Why this matters: Mags’ death is the hinge in the timeline that brought Jason to America. Without it, the Corbett children would have grown up in a different country, and the events of August 2, 2015, may never have happened.

Who is in the cast of A Deadly American Marriage?

What is the documentary about?

  • The documentary explores the killing of Jason Corbett and claims of self-defense by Molly and Thomas Martens (Netflix).
  • It includes a 911 call from the night of the incident and crime scene footage (Netflix Media Center).
  • The runtime is 1 hour 42 minutes, according to IMDb.

Documentary directors and critical reception

  • Directed and produced by Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell (Netflix Tudum).
  • The film has a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with positive critic reviews (Rotten Tomatoes).

The trade-off: critics praise the documentary for its balanced presentation of both families’ perspectives. But some viewers may find the lack of a definitive conclusion frustrating — the film refuses to pick a side between murder and self-defense.

For another crime drama with an Irish connection, see our coverage of Where Is The Gone Filmed.

Do Jason Corbett’s kids talk to Molly?

They do not. Jack and Sarah Corbett have no relationship with Molly and have not spoken to her since the incident. The documentary makes clear that this is a point of contention and grief for both families (People).

The upshot

For Molly Corbett, the legal system has reduced her sentence. But the social and familial consequence — permanent estrangement from the children she once lived with — is a judgment no court can reverse.

Timeline

  • 2006: Margaret ‘Mags’ Corbett dies from an asthma attack in Ireland (Decider)
  • 2011: Jason Corbett marries Molly Martens in the United States
  • August 2, 2015: Jason Corbett is killed at the family home in Davidson, North Carolina (Forbes)
  • 2017: Molly Corbett and Thomas Martens are convicted of second-degree murder (People)
  • 2020–2023: Appeals process results in Molly’s sentence reduction to 12–18 years (The News & Observer)
  • May 9, 2025: Netflix releases A Deadly American Marriage (Netflix Tudum)

The pattern: from first wife’s death to documentary release is nearly 20 years. The Corbett children have spent more of their lives without their father than with him.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

Confirmed

  • Jason Corbett died on August 2, 2015 in North Carolina from blunt force trauma and asphyxiation (The News & Observer)
  • Molly Corbett and Thomas Martens were convicted of his murder (People)
  • Molly’s sentence was reduced to 12–18 years on appeal (Forbes)
  • Jason’s children live with their aunt in Ireland (Decider)
  • Netflix released the documentary on May 9, 2025 (Netflix)

What’s unclear

  • The exact nature of the argument that preceded the killing (Forbes)
  • Why the appeals court reduced Molly’s sentence from 20–25 to 12–18 years (People)
  • Whether the documentary includes new evidence not seen at trial (Netflix)

Quotes and perspectives

“He was a wonderful father and brother. We miss him every day.”

— Tracey Corbett-Lynch, Jason’s sister (People)

“This was not self-defense. This was an execution.”

— Prosecutor in the 2017 trial (Forbes)

“She was terrified for her life. She acted to protect herself and her children.”

— Molly Corbett’s defense attorney (Forbes)

The documentary gives each side room to speak, but the gap between the prosecutor’s “execution” frame and the defense’s “terrified” frame shows why the jury had to spend weeks deciding.

Summary

A Deadly American Marriage does not solve the case. It lays the competing narratives side by side and lets the viewer decide which version of events feels more true. For the Corbett children, now teenagers living in Ireland, the proceedings — both the criminal trials and the documentary — are already over. But for Molly Corbett, serving a 12-to-18-year sentence in a North Carolina prison, the question of what actually happened in that house on August 2, 2015, will remain unresolved in the public imagination. The trade-off for the viewing audience is clear: you can watch the film and form your own judgment, but you won’t get closure from the footage alone.

For more streaming recommendations, see our list of Jenna Ortega Movies and TV Shows.

Additional sources

youtube.com, en.wikipedia.org, netflix.com

For those seeking a deeper dive, detailed breakdown of the same case offers a thorough analysis of the legal and personal entanglements that defined the trial.

Don't miss these

Frequently asked questions

What is A Deadly American Marriage about?

It’s a Netflix documentary that examines the 2015 killing of Irish businessman Jason Corbett in North Carolina, and the murder trial of his wife Molly Corbett and father-in-law Thomas Martens, who claimed self-defense (Netflix).

When did A Deadly American Marriage come out on Netflix?

The documentary premiered on Netflix on May 9, 2025 (Netflix Tudum).

Is A Deadly American Marriage a documentary or a series?

It is a single documentary film, not a series, with a runtime of 1 hour 42 minutes (IMDb).

How can I watch A Deadly American Marriage?

It is streaming exclusively on Netflix (Netflix).

Who directed A Deadly American Marriage?

The documentary was directed and produced by Jessica Burgess and Jenny Popplewell (Netflix Tudum).

What is the documentary’s Rotten Tomatoes score?

It has received a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating positive reviews from critics (Rotten Tomatoes).

Where are Jack and Sarah Corbett now?

They live in Ireland with their aunt, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, and have no contact with Molly Corbett (Decider).

What sentence did Molly Corbett receive?

She was originally sentenced to 20–25 years, later reduced to 12–18 years after an appeal and plea agreement (People).