Maazel Tov to the Happy Couple

[Ralph]

Man pleads guilty, then gets married
8/2/2005, 9:00 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Minutes after pleading guilty to a gang-related stabbing death, Joshua Martin Miracle got married in the same courtroom.

Miracle, 26, who faces death or life in prison without parole for killing Elias Raymond Silva, 30, on Oct. 3, exchanged wedding vows with longtime girlfriend Christina Beltran, 21, during a brief ceremony performed by retired Superior Court Judge William Gordon.

The groom, handcuffed and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, managed to steal a kiss before bailiffs took him back to County Jail.

The bride declined comment.

"I think they are very committed to each other and, despite the present unhappy circumstance, want to be together as much as they can," Miracle's advisory lawyer Joe Allen said. "This will enable Christina to come and visit him wherever he may be."

For three months, Miracle has represented himself in the murder case with the help of his court-appointed advisory lawyer. Miracle insisted on pleading guilty but Superior Court Judge Brian Hill said state law prohibiting defendants in capital cases from pleading guilty without the advise of any attorney.

The judge accepted his guilty plea Friday after Allen assured him the defendant was fully aware of the consequences of his pleas.

Silva was stabbed 48 times after Miracle lured him to an apartment.