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A 61-year-old Florida man, Michael Haugabook, married his ex-girlfriend’s 18-year-old daughter. Word of the union surfaced online through a tweet claiming Haugabook started dating Deja after he dated her mother Davina Evans first. Michael, a father with multiple children, was in Deja’s life not long after she was born. News of his wedding has gone viral, with people outraged after learning his age and that he was once considered her godfather.
Social media immediately labeled him a predator after he married the teen as soon as she turned 18. Deja is also Michael’s goddaughter, and the two shared family history prior to their controversial nuptials. Old photos show Michael holding her when she was just a toddler, further hinting at the family dynamic they once shared.
When Deja was 17, she admitted to dating, but kept his identity secret until after her 18th birthday. After recently getting married, Deja started trending on social media with claims her husband raised and
groomed her to be his wife. In receipts shared on Michael’s old Facebook page, a post shows him referring to Davina as his goddaughter with Deja’s mother thanking him and saying “love you babes.”
Word of the union surfaced online through a tweet. While the tweet claimed Michael was in his 40s, other online platforms reveal a document from Michael’s 2014 arrest, which shows he was 54 at the time, meaning he is currently 61. The tweet reads:
You guyssss!!! This girl is 18 and she just married her Godfather who used to date her mom. He’s 46 or 47. They have a 2-year-old daughter and he has 3 other kids. He’s been ‘dating’ and grooming her since she was 14. I’m sick to my stomach.
Deja has since released a statement in response to the public outcry against Michael and defended her godfather, or now, husband. She believes everyone is simply jealous of the life she lives while other girls her age usually chase after boys who are sleeping around. The 18-year-old added:
People need to stop calling her husband a predator and mind their business because he’s her predator, not theirs. I am grown despite being 18 and it was my decision to marry an older man because younger men don’t know what they want, and they go from one woman to another.
Meanwhile, Deja’s mother has called both out on social media for what she termed betrayal. She was Michael Haugabook’s lover, and now, her daughter is married to the man she used to date. Davina also stated that Michael’s children, who used to view Deja as their cousin and godsister, are now confused and do not know whether to call her their cousin, godsister, or stepmother.
Michael took to social media to respond to critics by saying:
It looks like I’m the only n—a in this town having married a young woman but since it’s me they gotta have something to talk about. Looks like you little girls are jealous of my wife but keep on promoting us. I love it.
Michael and Deyjah explained on Facebook that they will be “raising” their four children together. It is unclear how many of the children are Deja’s (biologically), and if any are biologically both hers and Michael’s. Under Florida law, Deja was legally unable to consent to sexual relations with an adult male until she turned 18.
Last weekend, Mike Haugabook, 61, married Deja Evans in a private ceremony in Florida. The bride turned 18 last week. In Florida, where the couple lives, the legal age for consent/adulthood is 18. While this entire act appears immoral, it is not illegal.
By Cherese Jackson (Virginia)
Sources:
Black Enterprise: 61-Year-Old Florida Man Faces Backlash For Marrying His 18-year-old Goddaughter
Adom Online: Outrage as 61-year-old man dumps wife for her 18-year-old daughter
Twitter: Somebody’s Fine Mama
Image Credits:
Top / Featured Images Courtesy of Twitter: @bombshellcole
Inside Image Courtesy of Twitter: @HelloKennedi