Tenn. wife sentenced in preacher's death By WOODY BAIRD, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 34 minutes ago SELMER, Tenn. - A woman who killed her preacher husband with a shotgun blast to the back as he lay in bed was sentenced Friday to three years in prison, but with time served could be released on probation in a little more than two months. ADVERTISEMENT Mary Winkler must serve at least 210 days of her sentence but gets credit for the 143 days she has already spent in jail, Judge Weber McCraw said. That leaves 67 days, and McCraw said up to 60 days of the sentence could be served in a facility where she could receive mental health treatment. That means Winkler might spend only another week in jail. Prosecutors had pursued a murder charge against Winkler, 33, but jurors convicted her of the lesser count of voluntary manslaughter in April. "Of course it's a victory," her attorney Steve Farese said. "She could be in prison for life, and that's what everybody thought she was headed for to begin with." She could have received up to six years for killing her husband, Matthew, in the parsonage where the family lived in March 2006. A day later she was arrested 340 miles away on the Alabama coast, driving the family minivan with her three young daughters inside. Matthew Winkler's family left the courtroom without commenting, and there was no immediate comment from the prosecution. Mary Winkler was taken into custody after the sentence was read. Her attorneys said they will talk to her about whether she wants to appeal or seek a new trial, but one of them, Steve Farese, said, "This is probably the end of a long saga." At her trial Winkler testified she was physically and emotionally abused by her husband, but at her sentencing hearing Friday she said, "I think of Matthew every day, and I'll always miss him and love him." She pleaded to the judge for leniency, and asked to be reunited with her daughters, now with Matthew Winkler's parents. The judge denied Winkler's request for full probation or judicial diversion, which would have eventually cleared her record of the conviction. Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence for the death of Matthew Winkler, 31, a popular preacher at the Fourth Street Church of Christ in the small west Tennessee town of Selmer. Prosecutor Walt Freeland described him as a good father and a man who trusted his wife. Freeland said that just before the fatal shooting bank managers were closing in on a check-kiting scheme that Mary Winkler wanted to conceal from her husband. Prosecutors claimed she had become caught up in a swindle known as the "Nigerian scam," which promises riches to victims who send money to cover the processing expenses. Winkler, however, testified during her trial that her husband hit and kicked her, forced her to look at p*rnography and demanded sex she considered unnatural. Jurors were shown a pair of tall, platform shoes and a black wig Winkler said she was pressured to wear during sex. Matthew Winkler's family said at the sentencing hearing that Mary Winkler's allegations amounted to a second attack on him. "The monster that you have painted for the world to see? I don't think that monster existed," said his mother, Diane Winkler. When Mary Winkler took the stand, she turned to her husband's family and told them she was "so sorry this has happened." She said she understood they were angry with her and that she prayed every night for them to have peace. Diane Winkler, testified that the girls, ages 9, 7 and 2, were having nightmares about people with guns breaking into their house. "You've never told your girls you're sorry. Don't you think you at least owe them that?" she asked. Mary Winkler is in a legal fight with her husband's parents over custody of her daughters. "She'll be able to get out and fight the battle she wants to, and that is to get her children back," her attorney Leslie Ballin said. Mary Winkler's sister, Tabitha Freeman, asked the judge to give her a chance to be reunited with her children, and called her "the best example of a good person I can think of." "She just needs them. She's not complete without them," Freeman said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070608/ap_on_re_us/minister_slain
The other version of this story that I have seen are much clearer that Mr. Winkler was, according to the wife's version, both a very violent man who beat the crap out of her often and was very abusive and controling. If her version of events were correct (a big if) then Voluntary Manslaughter would be a reasonable charge.
Kinda sucks how women can make claims and get away from them so much easier than men, then again thats what happens when women have been put below men for most of all time besides the past 100 years or so!
I'm not going to pass judgment on her intent and the situation surrounding the killing because I really don't know the conditions that went on in the household. Just two points. 1) we'll never know because the husband can't defend himself and she apparently never complained or revealed it to anyone before and 2) I think her wanting her kids back is kind of selfish. Notice the sentence is "SHE's not complete". Considering the shady circumstances involved, would you really be comfortable with her raising kids? At the very least, she obvioulsy had some sort of mental breakdown. the shotgun blast in the back while sleeping screams execution to me. if a guy kills your kid, and then rapes your wife and then torments you with calls and you hunt him down and do the same thing, you'd still be in the big house for at least a few years.
Hell no do you let her step a foot near any child, hers or anyone elses. What happens when her children become teenagers and start revolting against their mother like all teenager girls do... what if while revolting they happen to slap her like most teenager girls have done to their mother... Would she use that same 'abuse excuse' in that trial? **** this woman, don't let her near any kid. She doesn't deserve to feel 'complete'. Do you think her husbands parents feel complete? No, I can't believe she got off so easily.
Neither do I. But I don't know how society allows for women to be normalized into accepting abuse for years on end either...
I'll have to disagree with your post here rhad, and yes the fact that the guy's a pastor does draw me to the story and probably influences my thoughts on the matter. We don't know what went on in that household. females are just as likely as guys to go off on the deep end and shoot up their spouse over soemthing silly instead of having to have "mitigating" conditions.
You don't think women in our society are reared in such a manner as to lower their propensity to report abuse? I'd venture to say that halfway houses across the nation are indicative that this is true. It's not as bad as it used to be for sure - but there is still a "veil of silence" around a lot of homes... If your qualm is with respect to the story in question, I have no issue. As I said in my first post, I certainly don't think such a light sentence is fathomable. Shooting someone is not the appropriate response by any means. The fact that it's a pastor from the "church of christ", makes the story more interesting for a variety of reasons, but has nothing to do with my commentary.
nods, my qualm is with the woman in the article. I thought your point was about her specifically. I'll see your point about the veil of silence when it comes to abuse of women not just in America, but also all over the world. I'll admit that the fact he's a pastor draws me more to the story than it normally would, but I also know that there are many, many people out there proclaiming to be ministers who do not practice what they preach.
Even assuming strong physical and mental abuse, I don't see how such a light penalty is justifiable. She could have fled or reported her abuse. She did not even kill him in the heat of some argument, but executed him while he slept in a premeditated murder.
