Posted on 03/24/2006 8:28:46 AM PST by Blogger
Slain Minister's Wife to Be Charged With Murder Friday, March 24, 2006 MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The wife of a Tennessee pastor found shot dead in his house Wednesday will face first-degree murder charges, authorities announced Friday.
Mary Winklerwas found Thursday night with the couple's three daughters in Orange Beach, Ala., about 400 miles south of their home in Selmer.
Investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said she was interviewed during the night and the charges were being prepared.
"We've interviewed her and she was cooperative," said Jennifer Johnson of the TBI, adding that once a warrant with the charges was drawn up, extradition proceedings would begin to have her returned to Tennessee.
Matthew Winkler was found shot to death in the bedroom of his parsonage Wednesday by church members who began searching for him after he failed to show up at an evening event at Selmer's Church of Christ.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry, but Winkler's wife and children — Breanna, 1; Mary Alice, 6; and Patricia, 8 — were gone.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The little kids on my street call their fathers "Daddy." Others also. It's normal. We do know one nice couple whose child calls them by their first name.
Well come on down! Actually our Gov Bredesen isn't too bad for a Democrat. I was born and raised in the mid west. I love Dixie and wouldn't live anywhere else.
Her main defense attorny, Farese, said that he was trying to find a way for her to get to say goodbye to Matthew before he is buried.
We haven't heard that she was let out of jail to go to the visitation or for a private viewing, so whatever they get the judge to agree to would have to be sometime today, before the funeral, or between the time the funeral ends and the interment begins in Huntingdon, which appears to be just an hour away from Selmer.
If the funeral ends around noon and burial begins at 3PM, there may be some time in there, although it seems usually the coffin is taken straight away to the cemetery from the service.
The attorney said she has not seen her children. I'm also wondering if the grandparents will take the kids to the service today. I hope they do take the two oldest--they shouldn't miss it, no matter what the circumstances, except if it would be traumatic for them in other ways than just being a funeral.
They went to their grandfather's funeral in November last year, so maybe they understand somewhat. Also, some church people have said they hope to get to see the children if it's just one last time.
What? I wonder why March 22.
You said it better than I did. You tell em, my friend. That comment sickened me, too.
Defense team wants Mary Winkler to have a psychiatric evaluation
3/28/2006 2:29:52 AM
Daily Journal
BY JOE RUTHERFORD
Daily Journal
Ashland attorney Steve Farese, who heads Mary Winkler's legal defense team in Selmer, Tenn., says he and her other attorneys want a psychiatric evaluation for their client.
Tennessee authorities claim Winkler has confessed to killing her husband, a Church of Christ minister, in their Selmer residence last week. The couple's three children reportedly were in the house at the time of the slaying.
Winkler apparently fled with her children to southern Alabama, where she was arrested late last week. They have been placed in the custody of their maternal grandparents.
Farese, in a telephone interview after an arraignment in Selmer on Monday, described Mary Winkler as "very sad, very reserved, a flat effect, very withdrawn."
He said no bail motion was made at Monday's court appearance out of respect for the WInkler family and because the funeral is set for this morning at the Selmer church where Matthew Winkler was the preacher.
Tennessee officials have said they know a motive but have refused to disclose it. Farese said it is possible the motive will not be presented until a trial, adding, "but they will have to tell us in discovery."
How did Farese get involved with the case?
"I was called by a friend in Memphis who is an attorney and who is distantly related to Mary Winkler and was asked to enter the case," Farese said. He is a member of the Farese Law Firm, founded by his late father, John B. Farese Sr.
Farese said he has brought Memphis attorney Leslie Ballin into the defense team, as well as his son, attorney Steve Farese Jr., and Marc Garver, an attorney from Atlanta. He said third-year University of Mississippi Law School student Lynn Brown of Holly Springs is working as the team's clerk.
Scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in Selmer is a preliminary hearing, at which Tennessee prosecutors must make only a prima facie or "sufficient evidence" case to move the investigation toward a possible indictment.
It's possible a bail motion will be made at then, Farese said.
"This is a media circus," he observed Monday. "Everybody was there except the Taiwan Times, and they probably will be there Thursday."
Farese said he thinks Tennessee prosecutors will call only one witness Thursday morning and that he does not plan on calling anyone to the stand.
Thats all they would say about it. Just that she said in her confession that she planned it for March 22nd. They are being very hush hush about it here, too.
That was said yesterday by Pam Killingsworth, who has been all over everywhere talking to the media.
Apparently, she went to the jail *before* church Sunday, even though media reported that she went *after.* That's why she had the message from Mary to give to the churchpeople.
I saw a brief clip last night where she also said that Patricia, the oldest child, had been in a prayer circle on Tuesday and when asked what she wanted to pray about, she said "we'll pray for my family."
PK read into that *now* that it meant there was trouble. She also claimed, when asked by Nancy Grace Friday night, that she had never seen any evidence of depression or PPD.
Hmmm. I guess you have seen the other speculation about her physical/mental health. I didn't want to comment on it, because it's an anonymous email to Greta Van Susteren, now "confirmed" by an anonymous poster elsewhere who allegedly knows the family.
Too much "anonymity" of the sources there. (And the email says that Mary's mother died 2 years ago, which isn't true - she died in 1999, so the whole thing is questionable to me.)
They claimed that she has lupus and has been treated in the past for bi-polar disorder. That sure seems like something people in a town as small as Selmer, population 4,600, would have heard about, especially lupus.
If either of these things were true, she may not have been able to establish a confidential resource in her new hometown for counseling and medication, if needed.
A fleeting thought was that her going to Henderson so many hours per week (however many) for college courses may have been a cover--but it is FHU and her in-laws are there and have access to records. She probably couldn't have gotten away with that.
The lawyer(s), including Ballin, have also made many comments about her "flat effect" (depression) and needing some mental health evaluation -- even saying so on the record.
At times it was hard to understand this neighbor because she was calling from a cell phone, but I got the distinct impression that she did not like Matthew Winkler. So far, this is the only person I have heard that has anything less than positive to say about Matthew Winkler.
Last night, Greta had on her defense attorney (I actually watched her show for this) and he made absolutely no mention of her motive.
It seems to me if she shot him in the back, twice, because he was abusive or molesting their children, they would be screaming that at the top of their lungs.
I still find it disgusting that so many people, both on here and in the media are trashing this man, after his death, by speculation that he was some sort of monster.
After all, women never....
Make up lies to push the blame of a murder on someone else..Susan Smith.
Make false accusations of rape to explain their murders...Eileen Wuornos.
Commit a cruel, planned, calculated, brutal beating death and stating while they were beating people to death, they had a sexual rush...Karla Fay Tucker.
Murder a boyfriend, husband and isn't caught until she attempted to murder another husband, who happened to be a Reverand...Blanche Taylor Moore.
The list goes on and on.
YES, THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS A CULT!...any church that brainwashes its members that only THEY will go to heaven, and all non-believers will go to hell, is a cult
...and i fully expect all cult members don't THINK that they are in a cult
John 14:6
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me"
Colt Fan Man 3:28
"i saith one thing all religions hath in common is the sales pitch of the afterlife, yet no man can proveth it exists"
If that is the best you have after categorically calling a group of people members of a cult, then I must say that is pretty sad.
I do hope and pray that you will take the time to learn from God's Word.
God bless.
With maturity, I believe preacher's wives learn what you have said. I have seen a few in their 20s and early 30s who feel the microscope much more than others. A lot depends on the congregation. Hubby's mom must have had some real winners because she rebelled a lot.
You need to grab a clue. Ever heard of Rubel Shelly? (I may have missspelled his last name.)
And she is the one who saw Mary "storming down the street" on that Wednesday. (Wish we knew what time--I wanted to put this in the timeline, but can't yet.)
" ... Sharon Everitt last saw Mary Winkler "storming down the street" from their home earlier on the day her husband's body was discovered.That was unusual because neither of the Winklers would speed on the street, Sharon Everitt said. ..."
jk,
there are many people with good morals and common sense who are not religious
...you know what i find amazing: it's how religious people think they are better than non-believers, yet so many of these religious people are phony hypocryts as they committ the same sins over and over and think all they have to do is beg for foregiveness every sunday...geez, you'd think there would be a three strike rule
...it's also absurd that a murderer, serial killer, rapist or child molester "gets in" your afterlife - all he needs to do is beg for foregiveness on sunday too
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