Most true crime stories end with a clear understanding of who the victim is. When the credits roll on A Deadly American Marriage, directed by Jessica Burgess (Rich & Shameless, American Monster) and Jenny Popplewell (What Jennifer Did, American Murder: The Family Next Door), the unresolved question is not who killed Jason Corbett on the night of Aug. 2, 2015, but whether his wife Molly and father-in-law Thomas Martens, who claimed they acted in self-defense, may have been victims themselves.
“This case demonstrates how complex the American justice system is,” Burgess and Popplewell tell Tudum. “Where is the truth? Where are the lies? Where is justice? This documentary demonstrates that it’s not clear-cut.”
After a complex investigation, Molly and Thomas were convicted of second-degree murder in 2017, but the convictions were quashed on appeal and they pleaded no contest and guilty, respectively, to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in 2023 — a legal resolution which left many questions about the case unanswered. Their release from prison in June 2024 reignited curiosity about the incident. By then, Burgess and Popplewell had already begun a documentary that would endeavor to comb through conflicting accounts of the killing.
“From the very beginning, we approached both families,” say Burgess and Popplewell. “For the film to remain objective and balanced, we never discussed information we learned with either side.”
The prospect of a second trial, which was still looming when the directors started the project, presented a chance to present both sides of the story — Molly and Thomas’s on the one hand, and that of Jason’s children, Jack and Sarah, on the other — and capture the enduring psychological trauma of a family forever torn apart.
“This film is structured like a trial,” the directors say. “It presents key arguments from both sides and allows the audience to draw their own conclusions about the case.”
The legal and emotional aftermath of Jason Corbett’s killing continues to impact both families. The film’s title itself is telling, speaking to the family identity crisis left behind in the wake of Jason’s death.
“Jason lost his life in a brutal killing,” the filmmakers say. “It was not long after he had moved from Ireland to America to build a new life for himself and his family — what should have been the ‘American Dream’ went so tragically wrong for everyone.”
Jack and Sarah bear an outsized share of that burden, in that their father’s death opened up a painful custody dispute between Molly and Jason’s sister Tracey and brother-in-law David, whom Jason had named as his children’s guardians in the event of his death. As the documentary shows, Jason was reluctant to move forward with adoption proceedings which would have allowed Molly to legally claim guardianship over the children — something Molly believes was intended to coerce her into obedience.
“Jack and Sarah were two Irish citizens but had made roots in America with a woman they loved and called Mom,” Burgess and Popplewell say. “An American court ruled that they should grow up surrounded by Jason's family in Ireland …. To this day, Jack and Sarah tell us this is the best decision the court and their father could have made for them.”
The emotional stakes of Jack and Sarah’s situation are on display in a pivotal scene showing them being driven to court on the day of Molly and Tom’s sentencing. The directors had put cameras in the car to capture the culmination of the siblings’ eight-year journey within the justice system, but when they reviewed the footage, they were stunned.
“Jack suggested listening to Jason’s favorite song, ‘Chicken Fried,’ [by Zac Brown Band]” they say. “The family’s emotional reaction was so raw — and at the same time united — that we felt it encapsulated their experiences more than any interview could.”
As for Molly and Thomas’s adjustment to life after incarceration, Popplewell and Burgess say the daughter and father remain resolute.
“Molly and Tom’s time in prison was devastating for them and all who loved and supported them,” they say. “They don’t believe they should have ever been convicted, let alone received a custodial sentence.”
Watch A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix now.
