Robber Weds, Is Sentenced in Same Court Visit

A man sentenced to at least 20 years in prison in one Pennsylvania courtroom followed that up by walking into another courtroom to marry his girlfriend. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports 47-year-old Greg Howard was sentenced Thursday in Westmoreland County Court for robbing and assaulting an elderly woman during a home invasion. Following his sentencing, he was allowed to wear civilian clothes instead of a prison jumpsuit but remained shackled during a brief wedding attended by five deputies and the bride's baby.

Prosecutors say Howard and two other people got into the elderly victim's house by pretending to be delivering furniture. Witnesses say they took $13,000 and jewelry and left her on her bed with her ankles and wrists bound. Howard's closing argument had referenced Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and the Easter bunny, but he was silent at sentencing. Maybe he was distracted by his impending nuptials. (More marriage stories.)