Slain Preacher's Wife Appears in Court

[Walter Cronkite]

Mary Winkler appears in court Monday. She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her husband Matthew Winkler, a preacher in Selmer, Tenn.

A minister's wife shuffled into court in an orange jail uniform Monday and was arraigned on charges she killed her husband.

Mary Winkler, 32, wore shackles and clutched her attorney's hand as she was escorted into the courtroom. She did not enter a plea. Her only words were "no sir" when the judge asked if she had any questions after he read the complaint against her and explained her rights.

Winkler is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, Matthew Winkler, minister at Fourth Street Church of Christ in this small town 80 miles east of Memphis.

General Sessions Court Judge Bob Gray delayed a decision on bail until a preliminary hearing, set for Thursday.

Winkler said she "was sorry for everything she has done" but did not elaborate, a fellow church member said.

Authorities have said Mary Winkler confessed to killing her husband on Wednesday and then leaving town with their three young daughters, though officials have not suggested a motive for the attack. The minister was found dead that night in the church parsonage.

Mary Winkler was apprehended late Thursday in Orange Beach, Ala., after authorities issued an Amber alert for the children, who are now in the custody of their grandparents.

Defense attorney Leslie Ballin declined to answer questions about Mary Winkler's state of mind but said the defense might order a psychological exam later. Another defense attorney, Steve Farese, said investigators had not disclosed to him what motive, if any, Mary Winkler had given them.

The couple's daughters Breanna, 1, Mary Alice, 6, and Patricia, 8, are with their paternal grandparents.

Asked if the couple had marital problems, Farese said, "Have you ever been in a relationship? They all have some problems."

Prosecutor Elizabeth Rice fended off questions from reporters, saying all the evidence would be presented in court later.

One front row in the small courtroom Monday was filled with members of the Winklers' church, all women. Several sobbed and dabbed their eyes with tissues.

"It hurts us very much, but we're going to stand behind her 100 percent," church member Anita Whirley said after the hearing.

The defendant's father was escorted from the courtroom by a sheriff's deputy.

Clark Freeman declined to answer reporters' questions except to say that his daughter was doing "as well as she can."

Source: AP

[Sodomy]

She probably caught her husband with an alter boy and went nuts.

[AndySMC]

Coming up...the post partum depression defense

Sure as shooting, the defense of the 21th century will be used..."I was nuts after having a baby!" Now just because some wacko celebrity claims that she was depressed after having a baby doesn't make it so. In my childhood years, I never saw or heard of post partum depression. Most of the women that knew had 7-8 kids, low income, and dealt with their everyday problems with strength and courage. Now when a "me first" female( usually a celebrity) does some unacceptable behavior, and she now will try to blame her conflict on post partum depression.

Now virtually everything we read in the Bible about having children is not assoiated with depression but blessings. I read wher God has made labor pains hard on a woman but I don't read about him gong to make a woman want to killl her children or husband because of having a baby.

To me when a person is depressed, tehy go through some stereotypical steps that many regonize as "something is not right" with that person. The key thing in depression is a feeling of hoplessness and the lack of power to change circumstances. When a person kills (murders) that illustrates to me a sense of empowerment to take care of the problem. Mrs. Winkle acted too quickly for me to buy any "depression". Her behavior sounds more like a person who was carrying out an act of passion...emotional, quick and anger directed at the source of their rage. I gues we'll read where she was going to try to murder her children so that she will really look "crazy" in the eyes of the public.


If she is found to be unstable then it is from "issues" and not from having a baby. If this case proceeds with the Andrea Yates/ Susan Smith defense, then, perhaps, all people should have and pass a psychological screening test before ANY marriage is granted.

[Pyro]

Women are insane