The case of Jason Corbett’s death is a complex and brutal true-crime story involving a fatal confrontation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 2, 2015. Jason, a 39-year-old Irish widower and father of two, was beaten to death by his second wife, Molly Martins, and her father, Tom Martins, a retired FBI agent. Background and the Move to America Jason Corbett originally lived in Ireland with his first wife, Mags, and their children, Jack and Sarah. After Mags died from a sudden asthma attack in 2006, Jason hired Molly Martins as an au pair. The relationship eventually turned romantic, and the couple married and moved to the United States. However, the marriage was reportedly troubled; Jason's family claimed Molly was controlling and that Jason was unhappy, eventually expressing a desire to move back to Ireland with his children. The Fatal Incident The killing occurred in the early hours of August 2nd. Tom Martins called 911, claiming he intervened in a fight where Jason was choking Molly. Tom stated he used a little league baseball bat to hit Jason, while Molly admitted to striking him with a heavy cinder block (or paving stone) that had been on her nightstand. The forensic evidence told a much more violent story. Jason had been struck at least 12 times in the head, resulting in a crushed skull. Prosecutors argued that the brutality of the scene—including blood spatter indicating Jason was hit while already on the floor—contradicted the self-defense claim. Furthermore, Molly and Tom had no visible injuries or marks on them following the "life-and-death" struggle they described. The Motive and Allegations of Manipulation A central theme in the sources is Molly’s obsession with Jason’s children. Evidence suggested she had a history of lying, including telling neighbors she had birthed the children herself and claiming she was friends with Jason’s first wife. Prosecutors and Jason’s sister, Tracy Lynch, believed the motive for the murder was custody and control; Jason had refused to let Molly adopt the children and was planning to take them back to Ireland. The Role of the Children Jack and Sarah, aged 10 and 8 at the time, were in the house during the killing but reportedly slept through it. Initially, the children gave statements to social workers claiming Jason was physically abusive to Molly. However, after they were moved to Ireland to live with Jason's sister, Jack recanted his statement. He claimed Molly had coached them to lie, threatening that they would never see her again if they didn't support her story. Legal Outcome In 2017, Molly and Tom Martins were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. However, the case saw several appeals based on excluded evidence (such as the children’s initial statements) and potential jury misconduct. Ultimately, both defendants took a plea deal; Tom pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and Molly pleaded "no contest" to the same charge. They were released from prison after serving roughly four years of their original sentences. The case remains highly controversial, with Jason’s family maintaining it was a premeditated "execution" to keep the children, while the Martins family continues to insist it was an act of survival against an abusive man. AI tools were used in the translation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
