‘A Deadly American Marriage’ is Everyone’s Favorite New True Crime Obsession—Here’s Why

If you’re the kind of person who knows the name of every forensic pathologist from The Staircase and still can’t get over the chaos of Making a Murderer, allow us to present your next true crime fixation: A Deadly American Marriage.

Now streaming on Netflix, this documentary digs into the tangled, tragic, and infuriating case of Jason Corbett—an Irish father of two whose “fairytale” romance with his American nanny, Molly Martens, ended in murder. But this isn’t your typical domestic violence story. This story unfolds like a courtroom thriller, and everyone has something to say—including Gabby Windey and her wife, Robby, on this week’s episode of Long Winded, who fully dive in and (as always) do not hold back.

What is A Deadly American Marriage about?

Jason Corbett was a widowed father of two living in Ireland after the tragic death of his first wife, Mags, from an asthma attack. Desperately needing help to raise his young children, he hired 24-year-old Molly Martens from Tennessee as a live-in nanny. Within a few years, she’d moved in, moved up, and become his second wife. The couple relocated to North Carolina in 2011 and—for a time—lived what appeared to be a picture-perfect suburban life.

But on August 2, 2015, Jason was bludgeoned to death in their home. That’s the last thing anyone involved in this story agrees on. 

Molly and her father, Thomas Martens—a retired FBI agent—claimed self-defense, and that Jason was abusive towards Molly. In 2017, both were convicted of second-degree murder. But in a controversial turn of events, their convictions were overturned on appeal. In 2023, Molly pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and Thomas pleaded guilty to the same charge. They were released in June 2024.

The Netflix documentary A Deadly American Marriage includes interviews with Molly and Thomas—and, chillingly, with Jason’s now-grown children, Jack and Sarah. The story unfolds through contradictory accounts, revealing a maze of emotional manipulation, questionable legal strategy, and a justice system that seems more tangled than ever.

What Long Winded has to say

Gabby and Robby were deep in their true crime bag on this week’s episode of Long Winded. From the bizarre behavior of Molly Martens to the eyebrow-raising legal outcome, they unpacked the documentary with the fervor of two people who’ve seen one too many smug white ladies get away with murder. Literally.

“They tried to throw the birth mother’s father under the bus,” Robby noted. “This poor Irish dude, heart radiating from him—not the most polished, but you can feel the truth coming off of him.”

The duo also pointed out how Molly’s behavior appeared calculated throughout the documentary. “She was a slutty au pair who saw a ticket,” Robby said, flatly. “She coached the kids. And the kids—they figured it out. They came back and told the truth. They had to undo the lies she drilled into them.”

Gabby wasn’t buying Molly’s martyr complex, either: “She kept saying, ‘I was their mother.’ No, you were not. You were the hired help who married their dad and tried to erase their actual mom.”

They also raised major questions about the legal system that freed Molly and her father. “They got a new trial with no jury—just one judge,” Robby said. “You know how they did that? Because her FBI daddy has friends. What judge overturns a murder conviction like that? The whole thing feels like someone called in a favor.”

Why everyone’s talking about A Deadly American Marriage

A Deadly American Marriage isn’t your average true crime documentary. It forces you to wrestle with uncomfortable truths—not just about the crime itself, but about justice, manipulation, and whose voices get heard.

Is Molly a victim of coercive control or a master manipulator? Was Thomas Martens acting out of paternal protection, or covering for a daughter who lied from the start? And what does it say about the American legal system when a confessed killer can serve less than a decade?

As Gabby put it best: “This is the Mount Rushmore of bad white women behavior. Amber Heard, Blake Lively, Molly Martens—we’ve got a full lineup now.”

TL;DR: Add it to your queue

If you love true crime with a side of WTF, A Deadly American Marriage is your next must-watch. Between the conflicting testimonies, emotional family dynamics, and maddening courtroom twists, you’ll be screaming at your screen—and texting your group chat before the credits roll.

Just be warned: Once you start watching, you won’t shut up about it. Don’t worry, neither will we.