50 years ago, most folks would have agreed that he loved her and 'did the right thing' by marrying her and given the couple a chance to make a go of their marriage.
Marriage would have wiped out any criminality. The child would have had a legal father, responsible for the child's welfare, and the young mother wouldn't have had to rely on her own resoures.
Is this criminal outcome a better solution?
I'm just wondering if the girl wanted to be married...Nothing in the article states that the girl did or didn't want to be married.