I have married a 20 year prisoner after only nine months of knowing him.
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I married a prisoner with a 20-year sentence after knowing him for only nine months. He’s been in jail for rape, but I get butterflies every time I see him.
A woman has revealed how she married a convicted rapist who is serving a 20-year sentence in a jail 3,500 miles away.
Gemma Vásquez, 31, from Glasgow, met her partner Leonel through her mother, who is her Spanish teacher.
Despite living thousands of miles away, Gemma decided to reach out to her future husband, 31, last year.
Leonel, from Washington, was jailed in 2011 but expects to be released early in the next four years for good behavior.
Gemma Vásquez met her husband Leonel through her mother, who is her Spanish teacher. In the photo: the newlywed shows her engagement ring last year
Gemma said: ‘Love can blossom no matter who you are. It just completes me.
After initially exchanging messages, Gemma flew to the Virginia prison where Leonel lives in April 2022.
She stayed in the US for over a month and was only allowed to see Leonel for three hours each week.
She explained: ‘I still get butterflies every time he calls or his name comes up in a message. I’m always super excited.
Gemma and Leonel got engaged just three months after their first meeting. In the photo of their wedding on December 29 in the Virginia prison.
Leonel was jailed for 20 years in 2011 but expects to be released in the next four years for good behavior
“We hit it off right away, we have the same sense of humor. We both love 90’s music and have the same favorite movies.
It doesn’t matter what we talk about. You never expect your life to take a turn like this. I just thought I’d meet a guy here in Scotland.
Meanwhile, Leonel added: ‘I longed for someone to truly love me for who I am. But I thought, “Why would anyone want me?”
‘I will never forget the day Gemma texted me. I had to reread her message about ten times.
Gemma with Leonel’s mother, whom she has employed as a Spanish teacher since 2020. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law met through Facebook
‘It was so perfect. We had all these things in common: just the vibe and energy behind his words made me feel happy.
‘Our first kiss made my heart skip a beat. I knew that I had found my future wife.
Three months after their first meeting, Leonel proposed to her over the phone in July and an engagement ring was sent to her in the mail.
Although the couple had planned to get married in the New Year, Leonel decided to surprise Gemma during his last visit last month.
The groom arranged for the couple’s ceremony to take place on December 29, 2022 in the prison visiting room, next to a Christmas tree.
Gemma and Leonel plan to start life in a Spanish-speaking country once he is released.
The couple was married by a celebrant and there were no witnesses present.
Although two guards oversaw the proceedings, Gemma says she was allowed to kiss, hug and hold hands with her new husband.
The bride and groom say their families support the marriage and that the couple plans to start a new life in a Spanish-speaking country when Leonel is released.
Gemma added: “We’re looking to the future… I really didn’t know how it would turn out to be so far away and him not being free, but we just fell in love.”
Meanwhile, Leonel said: ‘Since she said ‘yes’ it’s been a fairy tale. I am desperately devoted to the love of my life and not a day goes by that I don’t feel blessed to have her.’