Hurricane Marriage Sails South

The Associated Press

MANSFIELD, La. — A New Orleans couple who wed last month at a hurricane evacuation shelter saw a sudden end to marital bliss: The groom is recovering from a stab wound while the bride is in jail on an attempted murder charge.

A.J. Cooper said his marriage to Angel Parker had been trouble-free until Wednesday morning, Cooper said.

"We were at home, me and my wife. We had drunk a few beers and then all of the sudden she got mad about something and she grabbed a knife and juked me in the chest. That's about all I remember," Cooper said on Thursday from his bed at LSU Hospital in Shreveport.

Cooper, who is being treated for punctured lung, said frustration and depression might be partly to blame. The couple evacuated from the convention center in New Orleans eight days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

They were transported to Union Springs Baptist Church's Restoration Center in Benson, which was their home until two weeks ago when they moved into a rent-free apartment in Mansfield. In the meantime, they have been able to talk to their 10 children by telephone.

Parker was jailed in lieu of $25,000 after being booked with attempted second-degree murder. Cooper said he plans to live with his father in Mississippi after he gets out of the hospital.