A British dental trainee flew to the United States to marry a double murderer on death row.
Rebecca Short, 26, married Manuel Ovante Jr, 35, at Eyman State Prison in Arizona after the pair became pen pals.
Ovante was sentenced to death in 2010 for killing two men and a woman in a botched drug robbery in 2008.
Ms Short, from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, reportedly told her family she was traveling to the US on vacation and posted photos at Disney World in Florida and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
She then shocked her relatives by posting photos of her marriage to Ovante on April 14 at Eyman Prison in Florence, Arizona, which houses more than 4,500 medium- and high-security inmates.
Mrs. Short wore a black dress at the ceremony, while Ovante wore a bright orange prison jumpsuit.
Sun reported that he brought a wedding cake that had the message: “Till death do us part” written in icing.
In an online pen pal profile, Ovante describes himself as a “goofball” who is “very loyal” to his friends.
Ovante said he was looking for someone with a “sense of humor” who “enjoys life.”
Rebecca Short and Manuel Ovante Jr Wed at Eyman Prison in Arizona
(instagram)
“I’m easy to get along with and I tend to be silly at times,” the death row inmate wrote.
“Very loyal to the people I care about. No one is perfect, so I hope I am not judged by the mistakes of the past.
“I love reading and listening to music. I have a daughter named Bonnie.
“I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for in a pen pal, so I guess you’ll have to surprise me.
“I guess someone will help make my time here easier. Someone who has a sense of humor and enjoys life.”
Manuel Ovante Jr was convicted of killing two people in Arizona in 2008
(Arizona Department of Corrections)
Ovante was convicted of murdering Jordan Trujillo and Damien Vickers after going to Trujillo’s home in Phoenix with three friends looking for methamphetamine in June 2008.
According to testimony heard in court, Ovante pulled out a gun and said “who left the safety on?” before opening fire, killing Mrs. Trujillo and wounding Mr. Vickers and a third man, Gabriel Valenzuela.
Mr. Vickers called for help for his injuries and was taken to a truck where Ovante and the others had fled.
He asked to be dropped off at a hospital, but Ovante reportedly refused to help. Mr. Vickers died in the truck and his body was dumped in an alley.
At trial, Ovante pleaded guilty to both murders and the aggravated assault of Mr. Valenzuela. A jury ultimately sentenced him to death.