I wrote to a felon because he was eye candy – we fell in love and had a prison wedding but conjugal visits are banned
WHEN Gabriella Moore married the love of her life in an intimate ceremony, unlike other brides, she wasn’t excited about her wedding night.
Three years on from their big day, the model from Lithuania has never had sex with her husband because when they met, he was locked up in a Michigan prison.
Detroit-born Jamal, 29, is serving the twelfth year of his 22 to 45-year sentence.
“I believe my husband was wrongfully convicted 12 years ago at the Michigan Department of Corrections,” Gabriella told The U.S Sun.
“It was for second-degree murder, and he was imprisoned by hearsay and sentenced by Bench trial.”
Jamal, who also maintains his innocence, wrote a memoir called If Pain Was a Person.
Gabriella and Jamal said their vows in front of a prison chaplain, a Lifetime production director, and one of Gabriella’s good friends.
The newlyweds enjoyed a four-hour visit after saying “I do” in 2022.
“We did not have that experience of waiting until our wedding night to be intimate,” Gabriella said.
Still, they “make intimacy work,” with modern inventions making things easier.
“Getting playful on the phone works mainly when you can implement toys and other things, and it gets spicy,” she said.
Gabriella travels three to four times yearly and spends up to $3,000 to see Jamal.
She stays in a hotel or with friends for a month near the Michigan prison, where conjugal visits are banned.
“You can not have sex on a visit as Michigan does not have the conjugal visits option,” she explained.
“Anything sexual could get you a sexual misconduct ticket and lose your visits, and it is for prison safety reasons.
“We can kiss, and there’s a level of being sexual, but even grabbing on each other would be a straight no.
“I know the sex would not equal what we have emotionally. But it would be special.
“We did not have the physical before, but I got to know him on such levels that nobody else usually can.
“The good thing is that we connect emotionally, and our chemistry is so high.
“I look forward to intimacy, but I am happy we’re socially connected.”
When I saw Jamal’s Pen Pal ad and photo, I found him attractive and thought he was eye candy.
Gabriella Moore
After Gabriela contacted Jamal via Pen Pal at the end of 2021, the pair hit it off immediately.
Many prisoners like Jamal use the service to connect with society, and people send them pictures and cards.
Gabriella reached out because she was curious after she saw Jamal’s ad during the pandemic.
WORLD OUTSIDE
“When I saw Jamal’s Pen Pal ad and photo, I found him attractive and thought he was eye candy,” she said.
“I was not expecting anything to come out of it.
“But I felt that a person in prison would not judge me, plus I could be myself.
“It was not necessarily a romantic move for me, and I understood Jamal might be craving communication with the outside world.
“The only thing that I knew about Jamal was that he did not commit any crimes against women or children.”
We never had a girlfriend-boyfriend stage and went from being friends to being engaged.
Gabriella Moore
After corresponding for around four months, Jamal and Gabriella saw each other for the first time via a video call in 2021.
But even before that moment, the pair had already told each other they loved each other.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
“I was very nervous, and when he said I love you, I was pretty scared to respond,” she said.
“I knew when I did that was it, and there was no way back for us.”
Connecting face-to-face escalated the relationship toward an engagement on June 28, 2022.
In fact, Jamal proposed to Gabriella 13 times.
“We had the clearance to see how we connected, and so when we eventually saw each other, we connected very well,” she revealed.
“It was bizarre because we never had a girlfriend-boyfriend stage and went from being friends to being engaged.
“You get to know a person and understand what they like and don’t like through these experiences.
was not scared of getting married to Jamal, but it was a big decision.
Gabriella Moore
“I learned the traumas, what makes Jamal happy, and his morals and values.
“We learned what we expect from life and how we want to improve.
“All these things came together for Jamal and me, and our feelings developed.”
Gabriella quickly sent a visiting application to his facility.
After about six weeks, she was added to an approved list, and the couple prepared to marry inside.
Two years after writing to each other on PenPal, they were married in a small 30-minute ceremony on EXACT DATE GABRIELLA.
BIG MOMENT
“I was not scared of getting married to Jamal, but it was a big decision,” she said
“We wanted to be together and be a family.
“The organizing was also stressful as the whole process was very complicated.
My family was stunned when I told them about Jamal.
Gabriella Moore
“There were documents to go through, and I had to get my birth certificate, passport, and his birth certificate.
“We had to fill out the marriage package, send in his and my information, and wait for the warden’s approval.”
Interestingly, when Gabriella told her family about Jamal, she said they were shocked but ultimately gave them a chance.
“My family was stunned when I told them about Jamal,” she revealed.
“My mother was worried initially, but I reassured her that Jamal was a great person.
“When I explained how I met Jamal, we talked about him as a person and his situation, and they decided to give us a chance.
“After that, they had the chance to speak with him and get to know Jamal alone.
“My parents could have judged us, but they did not.
“In the end, my family congratulated both of us and wished us happiness and long years together.”
Lifetime contacted Gabriella to appear in Prison Brides in late 2022, which allowed her to share her real-life story.
To this day, she is fighting hard for her husband, who she believes was wrongfully convicted.
She keeps raising money for an attorney to work on Jamal’s case. She hopes to reopen it in the future.
WORST CASE
Gabriella said she’s been advocating for a wrongful conviction for years and thinks an injustice was committed.
“The only reason why my husband got convicted was based on his mother’s testimony,” she said.
I am still young, so when he comes home, I’ll be 37.
Gabriella Moore
“We want to open the case and work on it to get a re-sentence, or Jamal can be forgiven or exonerated based on new evidence.
“If the worst-case scenario is Jamal will unfortunately be in prison for another decade, I do not think about that.
“I am still young, so when he comes home, I’ll be 37,” she said.
“So, one day, we will get remarried or renew our vows and have the ceremony once I get Jamal home.”
To this day, Gabriella fights hard for her husband, who she believes was wrongfully convicted.
“The truth will set him free, and that is what Jamal likes to say,” she added.
“I believe that Jamal is another African American man who got wrongfully convicted.
“I am trying my best to find a way to help him get his life back possibly.”