British woman tells family she’s at Disney World before marrying ‘goofball’ pen pal on US death row

✔ Fact Checked by TDPel News Desk

By Samantha Allen

Published: April 23, 2022 | 6:02 PM GMT

A British trainee dental nurse said she was going to Disney World before she flew to Arizona and married a death row inmate who killed two people and dumped one of their bodies in an alley.

Rebecca Short, 26, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, told her family she was on holiday in the US and even posted holiday snaps from Disney World, Florida, and the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.

However, she surprised her relatives by posting photos of herself marrying Mexican-American double murderer Manuel Ovante Jr, 35, who is on death row at Eyman jail, Florence, Arizona.

The Oxfordshire woman had become pen pals with the killer, who described himself as a ‘goofball’ who is ‘loyal’ and ‘easy to get along with’.

Ovante has spent more than a decade in jail after he was sentenced to death in 2010 for murdering a woman and a man as he was looking for drugs in 2008.

On the day of their marriage Rebecca posed in a black dress with Mexican-American Ovante, who was in his prison-issue orange jumpsuit.

The British trainee dental nurse was allegedly ‘obsessed’ with documentaries about serial killers in America.

Ovante’s pen pal profile has remained online. The killer described himself as a ‘goofball’ and ‘very loyal’.

He said he was looking for someone with a ‘sense of humour’ who ‘enjoys life’.

The death row inmate wrote: ‘I’m easy to get along with and tend to be a goofball sometimes.

‘Very loyal to people I care about. Nobody is perfect, so I hope not to be judged by past mistakes.

‘I love to read and listen to music. I have a daughter named Bonnie.

‘Not really sure what I’m looking for in a pen pal so, I guess you’ll have to surprise me.

‘I guess someone to help make my time in here easier. Someone that has a sense of humour and enjoys life.’

One of Rebecca’s friends said she was ‘always obsessed with watching Netflix documentaries about serial killers in America, but no one thought she’d run off and marry one,’ in an interview with The Sun.

Ovante and three of his friends were searching for drugs in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2008, when they came to Jordan Trujillo’s house.

He hoped Ms Trujillo would be able to give them drugs but she refused.

Ovante returned again and again to her home until at last the group found her when she was asleep. Two others, Damien Vickers and Gabriel Valenzuela were also at the house.

Without warning, Ovante drew a loaded gun and shouted ‘Who left the safety on?’ He pointed it at Valenzuela and told him not to move.

Then he moved his aim to the sleeping Jordan Trujillo on the sofa. He shot her twice in the head, killing her almost instantly.

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About Samantha Allen

Samantha Allen is a seasoned journalist and senior correspondent at TDPel Media, specializing in the intersection of maternal health, clinical wellness, and public policy. With a background in investigative reporting and a passion for data-driven storytelling, Samantha has become a trusted voice for expectant mothers and healthcare advocates worldwide. Her work focuses on translating complex medical research into actionable insights, covering everything from prenatal fitness and neonatal care to the socioeconomic impacts of healthcare legislation. At TDPel Media, Samantha leads the agency's health analytics desk, ensuring that every report is grounded in accuracy, empathy, and scientific integrity. When she isn't in the newsroom, she is an advocate for community-led wellness initiatives and an avid explorer of California’s coastal trails.