The story of the 2015 death of Jason Corbett in a quiet North Carolina suburb has stayed in the headlines for over a decade. It’s one of those cases that feels like it’s never really over. People are still constantly asking where is Molly Corbett now, especially after the massive legal shifts that saw her walk out of prison much sooner than anyone originally expected.
Honestly, the situation is a lot different today in 2026 than it was when the first guilty verdicts were read out in a Davidson County courtroom. Back then, it looked like Molly and her father, Thomas Martens, were going away for decades. Life comes at you fast. Following a successful appeal and a high-stakes plea deal in late 2023, the landscape of this case shifted entirely.
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Molly Martens (who often goes by Molly Corbett in legal filings) is currently a free woman. After being released from prison in June 2024, she headed back to her roots. Specifically, she returned to Knoxville, Tennessee. This is the area where she grew up and where her parents, Thomas and Sharon Martens, still reside. For a while, she couldn't actually live under the same roof as her father because of a U.S. law that generally prevents two convicted felons from sharing a residence while on supervision. Instead, she reportedly stayed in a nearby property—some reports even mentioned a basement apartment—so she could remain close to her family while checking off the boxes of her parole.
The Long Road to Freedom
To understand where she is today, you've gotta look at how the sentencing fell apart. In 2017, both Molly and Tom were handed 20 to 25 years for second-degree murder. They maintained they acted in self-defense, claiming Jason had attacked Molly. The jury didn't buy it then.
But the North Carolina Supreme Court eventually ruled that the trial had been unfair. Why? Because the judge had excluded certain evidence, like statements from Jason’s children, Jack and Sarah, which initially supported the self-defense claim before they later recanted. That ruling changed everything.
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The 2023 Plea Deal and Release
Instead of going through a grueling second trial, a deal was struck.
- Molly Martens pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
- Thomas Martens pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
- The Sentence: They were sentenced to 51 to 74 months.
- The Reality: Because they had already served 44 months of their original sentence, they only had about seven months of "new" time to serve.
By June 6, 2024, they were both processed out of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Molly walked out of the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, while her father was released from a separate facility.
Adjusting to Life in 2026
Life after prison hasn't been entirely quiet. Even though she's kept a relatively low profile in Tennessee, the public eye follows her. She’s been spotted out and about in the Knoxville area—even reportedly seen at Dollywood, which is basically the local backyard for anyone in East Tennessee.
There’s a lot of talk about her "struggling with the trauma" of the media scrutiny. That's a bit of a polarizing statement, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on. In Ireland, Jason’s family remains vocal about their belief that justice wasn't served. They’ve described his death as a "brutal murder" and expressed deep disappointment that the Martens duo is out.
Social Media and the "Molly Belle" Persona
Interestingly, Molly has slowly trickled back onto social media. There have been reports of her using the name "Molly Belle," a nod to her favorite Disney princess from Beauty and the Beast. It’s a move that feels somewhat surreal given the gravity of the case, but it shows a person trying to reclaim a sense of normal identity away from the "convicted felon" label.
Relationship with the Children
One of the biggest questions people have about where is Molly Corbett now involves her relationship with Jack and Sarah. Jason’s children were at the heart of the custody battle that followed his death.
The short answer? There is no relationship.
Molly is currently under a court order that strictly forbids her from contacting Jack and Sarah Corbett. The children moved back to Ireland years ago to live with their aunt, Tracey Corbett Lynch. While Molly used to post emotional messages to them on Facebook during the early years of the legal battle, she is now legally barred from doing so. In the 2025 Netflix documentary A Deadly American Marriage, she spoke about this loss, but the Corbett family remains firm that the children want nothing to do with her.
What's Next for Molly Martens?
Her parole period was slated to end around mid-2025. This means that by 2026, she is likely off active supervision and able to move back into her family home if she hasn't already. She’s 42 years old now. A lot of her "prime" years were spent in and out of courtrooms and prison cells.
The 2025 Netflix documentary gave her a platform to tell her side—the self-defense narrative—to a global audience. It didn't necessarily change many minds, but it kept the case in the public consciousness. She continues to live near her family in Knoxville, likely relying on the support system of her brothers and her mother, Sharon.
If you are following this case, the next steps are usually more about the civil and social aftermath than the criminal one.
- Keep an eye on civil filings: There are often lingering wrongful death suits or estate issues that can crop up even after prison time is served.
- Monitor the Corbett family's advocacy: Jason's sister, Tracey, has written books and continues to advocate for victims' rights, which often leads to new public statements or developments.
- Look for updates from Davidson County: While the criminal case is closed via the plea deal, legal archives often release more detailed transcripts or evidence files years after the fact.
The chapter on her time behind bars might be closed, but the shadow of what happened in Wallburg that night in 2015 isn't going anywhere. For Molly, "now" is about living as a private citizen in Tennessee while the world continues to debate her guilt.