When an Irish businessman is found dead in his North Carolina home, people usually look at the suspects. They look at the crime scene. They look at the motives. But for years, the world mostly ignored the two small humans sleeping upstairs while their father, Jason Corbett, was being beaten to death with a baseball bat and a brick.
Jack and Sarah Corbett weren't just witnesses to a tragedy. They became the center of a brutal international tug-of-war.
Honestly, the way their lives were handled by the justice system is kinda devastating. One day they were living a suburban life in Davidson County; the next, they were being whisked away to Ireland while their stepmother, Molly Martens, fought a desperate legal battle to keep them in the States. You’ve probably seen the headlines about the trial, but the story of the children is way more complex than just "orphans of a crime."
The Night Everything Changed for the Jason Corbett Kids
It was August 2015.
Jack was ten. Sarah was only eight. They were upstairs in their beds when their father was killed by Molly Martens and her father, Tom Martens—a former FBI agent. The Martens claimed self-defense, alleging Jason was choking Molly.
But the kids? They were caught in the middle of a narrative they didn't fully understand at the time.
Initially, there were reports that the children had made statements suggesting their father was abusive. If you look back at the 2017 trial, those statements were a massive point of contention. Later, both Jack and Sarah recanted everything. They admitted they were coached. They were scared children living under the roof of the people who had just killed their dad.
Basically, their voices were weaponized.
The Flight to Ireland and the Custody Battle
Within days of the killing, a legal firestorm erupted. Molly Martens wanted custody. She had raised them since they were toddlers, starting as their nanny back in Limerick before marrying Jason. She was the only mother Sarah really remembered—their biological mother, Mags, had died of an asthma attack when Sarah was just a baby.
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But Jason’s family in Ireland wasn't having it.
They flew to the U.S. immediately. Jason’s sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, and her husband David fought a grueling battle in a North Carolina court. They won. A judge eventually ruled that it wasn't in the kids' best interest to stay with a woman who had admitted to killing their father.
On August 20, 2015, the Jason Corbett kids were finally on a plane back to Ireland. They moved in with Tracey and David in Limerick, joining their cousins and starting a life that looked nothing like the one they had in America.
Growing Up in the Shadow of a Trial
Imagine being a teenager and having your father’s autopsy results and your stepmother’s "no contest" plea splashed across the internet. That’s been the reality for Jack and Sarah.
For a long time, they stayed out of the spotlight. They were healing.
But as they hit their late teens, that changed. They didn't want to be victims anymore. They wanted to be advocates.
Sarah Corbett Lynch: Turning Pain into Prose
Sarah is now 18, and she’s remarkably well-spoken. If you follow Irish news, you’ve probably seen her. She didn't just survive the trauma; she processed it through writing.
- She wrote a series of children's books, including Noodle Loses Dad, specifically to help other kids deal with grief and "re-homing."
- In early 2025, she released a memoir called A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing.
- She’s become a vocal campaigner for victims' rights, often speaking out about how the North Carolina justice system failed her family.
Recently, Sarah was accepted to Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. She’s studying English and drama, though she actually took some time off to pursue a passion for diving. She wants to be an instructor. It’s a normal, healthy ambition for someone who has lived through an absolute nightmare.
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Jack Corbett: A Quieter Path
Jack, now 20, is different.
He’s more private than his sister. He doesn't do as many interviews. According to Sarah, they’ve actually grown much closer as adults because they finally started talking about what they actually went through in that house in North Carolina.
Jack is a musician. He’s currently in college studying music and spends his time songwriting and singing. While he stays out of the press, he did provide a powerful victim impact statement during the 2023 resentencing of Molly and Tom Martens. He spoke about the "scars" he will carry forever.
He’s not hiding; he’s just choosing a different way to exist.
The 2024 Release of the Martens
One of the hardest moments for the Jason Corbett kids came recently. In June 2024, Molly and Tom Martens were released from prison.
They had served only about 51 months in total.
The original second-degree murder convictions from 2017 were overturned on appeal because a judge ruled that certain evidence—including those early, coerced statements from the kids—should have been allowed. Instead of a full retrial, a plea deal was struck in late 2023.
The Martens pleaded "no contest" (Molly) and "guilty" (Tom) to voluntary manslaughter.
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For Jack and Sarah, seeing the people who killed their father walk free while they were still dealing with the fallout was a bitter pill. Sarah has been very public about her disappointment in the legal system. She feels the plea deal was a shortcut that ignored the brutality of what happened to her dad.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume the kids must have been "saved" the moment they got to Ireland.
It wasn't that simple.
Moving to a new country and losing both parents—one to death and one to the legal system—causes a type of trauma called "disenfranchised grief." They weren't just sad; they were confused. They had to unlearn years of manipulation.
They also had to deal with a documentary called A Deadly American Marriage (released on Netflix in 2025), which brought the whole case back into the global conversation. Jack and Sarah participated in it because they wanted the truth out there, but having your life's worst moment turned into "true crime" content is heavy.
Current Status and Next Steps
Today, the Corbett siblings are focused on their futures in Ireland. They are safe, they are educated, and they are surrounded by the Lynch family who fought so hard for them.
If you're following this story and want to support the causes they care about, here are the best ways to engage:
- Read Sarah’s Books: Her work on childhood bereavement is used by schools and counseling services. It’s a great resource for anyone helping a child through loss.
- Support Victims' Rights: Sarah often works with organizations in Ireland and the US that advocate for better legal protection for children involved in domestic homicide cases.
- Respect Their Privacy: While Sarah is a public figure now, Jack remains private. Recognizing the difference in how they heal is important.
The story of the Jason Corbett kids is no longer just about a murder in North Carolina. It’s about two people who refused to let a tragedy define them. They’ve moved from being "the kids in the house" to being adults who own their own narrative.