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Half Naked Bridal Burglar Found Guilty

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on November 08, 2010 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

This is the runaway bride, in reverse. A trouble-making "bride" was found guilty of more than just a bad fashion sense for breaking into a house half naked. Melissa Wagaman, the bridal burglar, broke into a neighbor's house while dressed in a wedding skirt (mind you, not the whole gown) and veil. She faces up to 10 years in prison on assault charges, and more time on a host of other charges.

It took a jury in Washington County, Maryland, only about ten minutes to convict Wagaman on all counts, reports the Herald-Mail. In court testimony, Wagaman explained that she was bi-polar, had PTSD, was sleep deprived and was under the influence of a combination of cold medicine and marijuana. While playing dress up with her friend's daughter, Wagaman slipped on her half of a bridal gown and promptly began hallucinating her mother was trapped in the neighbor's basement.

Like any rational person, Wagaman proceeded to "rescue" her mom by trying to gain entry to the nearby home of Aaron and Erin Parrott, writes the Herald-Mail. After Erin Parrott refused to let her in, she moved to a side window on the house and broke it. With her head.

As any householder might do when faced with a crazed, half-bridal gown wearing, hallucinating stranger, Aaron Parrot whacked Wagaman as hard has he could with the shovel he had grabbed for protection.

Wagaman testified that she needed 78 stitches. Aaron Parrott was hospitalized for the severed arteries in his arm from the broken window. After the Parrotts fled to another neighbor's house and called police, Wagaman was found lying in the snow, unconscious.

Although her attorney argued reasonably that Melissa Wagaman had no intent to harm anyone, and that she really believed her mother was in the Parrott's basement, the jury would have none of it. She was convicted on charges of second-degree assault, fourth-degree burglary and two counts of reckless endangerment.

Judge Donald E. Beachley deferred sentencing for a month reports the Herald- Mail. In that time, the judge might want to consider a psychiatric evaluation as a possible aid to sentencing the bridal burglar.

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