Michael and Erin were on their way to the altar, but now it seems like this Prison Brides couple may just have to call it quits.
Prison Brides is a brand new docuseries, which premiered on lifetime on January 10, 2024.
This series follows the ups and downs of seven women from all over the world who have packed up their lives and moved to the United States in the hope that they could make their relationships with convicted prisoners work, despite the backlash that they have received.
Michael and Erin’s relationship on the outside
The very first episode of the show introduced fans to Erin, a single mother who originally came from Australia. Erin is willing to risk everything to be with Michael, who was sentenced to almost nine years in prison on armed robbery charges.
But, despite the fact that Erin had to leave her daughter behind, and Michael had spent most of his adult life in the prison system, this three-year-strong couple actually stood out as one of the more realistic couples on Prison Brides.
The premiere episode of Prison Brides saw Michael and Erin engaging in an emotional embrace after he was finally released on parole.
And (spoiler alert if you have not watched episode two yet) Michael promptly asks Erin to marry him, just moments after his long-awaited release.
However, it now seems like Erin and Michael will not get their ‘happily ever after’ after all, as Michael has now reportedly been implicated in a range of new charges.
These include domestic violence, menacing by stalking, and disorderly conduct after his arrest in November of 2023.
The Prison Brides cast
Michael and Erin is the Prison Brides couple that has drummed up the most controversy outside of the show so far.
But they are not the only half-international, half-prisoner couple trying to fight for their love through the complicated United States prison system.
In fact, all seven of Prison Brides’s season one’s hopeful couples (and their relationship status as of the end of episode two) can be summarized as follows:
The Prison Brides women | The Prison Brides prisoners | Relationship status |
Erin | Michael | Engaged |
Svea | Joseph | Dating |
Jessica | Craig | Married |
Emma | Curtis | Dating |
Andreea | Cage | Dating |
Olivia | KJ | Engaged |
Gabby | Jamal | Dating |
Michael’s new charges
Neither Michael nor Erin, have spoken out about his arrest since Prison Brides started airing.
However, Starcasm.net has revealed several details about exactly what happened in the moments leading up to Michael’s arrest on November 14, 2023.
According to these reported court documents, the police were called to the scene of Michael’s brother’s house after he allegedly swung at and later drove a car towards an unnamed victim.
Apparently, Michael “denied wrongdoing” when the police questioned him about the incident and failed to appear in court on November 28, 2023, for his arraignment.
Erin and Michael’s relationship is further complicated by the fact that he is currently back in prison for violating the terms of his parole.
Is Erin Michael’s newest victim?
The court documents detailing the events of Michael’s November arrest do not list the name of the victim, who he attempted to physically attack and run down with his car.
However, one of the officers who responded to the incident reportedly stated that the victim told him that she had “been in a romantic relationship with the defendant for (approximately) 3 years” and that they were living together before the incident occurred.
And since this small detail does line up so closely with the story that Erin and Michael have told us about their romance in the show, many fans are worried that this new victim may just be Erin – in which case, it seems unlikely that they will be able to go through with their engagement.
What this means for the future of Prison Brides
Whether Erin is the victim described in the documents relating to Michael’s arrest or not, the future of Erin and Michael’s relationship does seem to be hanging in the balance.
Even if Erin was not the victim in this case, Michael’s return to prison may just be the thing that convinces Erin that he was not serious about changing his ways, after all. She might even be convinced to call off the engagement.
But, since Prison Brides has only aired two episodes so far, and we have not seen any of the show’s documented couples call it quits just yet, it is unclear exactly how the producers will choose to handle this situation (or the arrest if Erin was really involved).
So it seems like fans will just have to wait and see how this couple’s story plays out in the next few episodes.
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