LOS ANGELES : Judge Marries Couple, Then Sentences Husband

A former Los Angeles County deputy district attorney was married Monday by a federal court judge, who then sentenced him to more than 15 years in prison for conspiring to sell cocaine.

Derrick Troy Walker, 33, and his longtime girlfriend, Teresa Diaz, 27, were wed in a double-ring ceremony by U.S. District Judge John G. Davies as more than 30 friends and relatives applauded from the gallery.

The upbeat mood, however, did not last long: Walker, who has been in custody since his 1991 conviction for conspiring to help a friend sell 10 kilograms of cocaine, was scheduled to be sentenced in Davies’ courtroom.

Diaz, a West Los Angeles receptionist, said she and Walker had asked the judge to marry them three weeks ago, fearing that they might not get a chance to wed after the sentencing. Under federal law, judges have very little discretion in sentencing drug offenders, and although Walker had no previous criminal record and committed his crimes long after he had left the district attorney’s office, he was virtually guaranteed a sentence of at least 10 years.